The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has denied reports suggesting that any region of the country has been barred from passport issuance, insisting that no part of Nigeria has been excluded from access to the service.
Okay News reports that the clarification was issued on February 7, 2026, by the NIS Public Relations Officer, A.S. Akinlabi, who explained that the claims stemmed from a misunderstanding of ongoing reforms aimed at modernising passport production nationwide.
The Service said narratives alleging that passport production activities in the South‑East were being halted were misleading and capable of generating unnecessary tension. Akinlabi noted that the NIS is implementing a phased onboarding system to migrate passport offices, including those in foreign missions, to a centralised production framework.
He stressed that the initiative, which began in 2024, is designed to enhance efficiency, integrity, and security in passport administration, not to exclude any citizen. The spokesperson added that several North‑East and North‑Central states have already been successfully onboarded, alongside 35 international stations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, while migration for South‑East states and additional foreign missions is ongoing.
Concerns had intensified following reports that the South‑East’s only international passport production centre in Enugu might be shut down, with allegations that applications would be redirected to Abuja or Lagos. The reports claimed that technical teams had begun dismantling machines at the facility, sparking public anxiety.
The NIS clarified that the Enugu centre remains operational and is critical for emergency passport processing across the five South‑East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo. It emphasised that the reforms are intended to expand access and improve service delivery.
Officials highlighted that the Federal Government is rolling out broader digital reforms in immigration and identity management, including the Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) system launched in January 2026. STEP allows Nigerians abroad who lose their passports to generate emergency travel documents digitally, complementing other initiatives such as the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card.
The NIS reiterated that no Nigerian citizen is excluded from passport services and assured that the reforms will strengthen efficiency and accessibility nationwide.
 has denied reports suggesting that any region of the country has been barred from passport issuance, insisting that no part of Nigeria has been excluded from access to the service.){kind=link}