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Peter Obi Slams FG Over Passport Fee Hike, Says Cost Now Higher Than Workers’ Salaries

Former presidential candidate and Labour Party leader, Peter Obi, has once again criticized the Federal Government following the latest increase in the cost of obtaining Nigerian international passports.

On Thursday, August 28, 2025, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) announced new passport fees:

The announcement sparked outrage nationwide, with many Nigerians lamenting that the new fees are beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.

Reacting via his official social media handle, Obi condemned the development, accusing the administration of continuously placing unnecessary financial burdens on struggling Nigerians.

According to him:

“The obsession of this administration with putting a burden on the populace is becoming legendary and continues to reveal its apparent disconnect with the people and their suffering.

The International Passport fees in Nigeria have now skyrocketed to ₦100,000 for a 32-page booklet and ₦200,000 for 64 pages. This is the third increase in just two years.

In a country where the new minimum wage is only ₦70,000, the cost of a single passport now exceeds a worker’s monthly salary, probably the only country in the world to achieve this feat.”

Obi stressed that instead of implementing policies that ease the cost of living, the government keeps transferring the economic hardship to citizens. He described the passport fee hike as “alarming”, especially at a time when Nigerians are battling rising inflation, unemployment, and poverty.

The debate over the affordability of travel documents continues to generate heated discussions online, with many Nigerians aligning with Obi’s stance that the increase further exposes the disconnect between the government and the people.

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Ogunsola Gbenga is the Founder and Publisher of NaijaWide Media, the publisher of TheNaijaWide.ng, an independent Nigerian digital news publication covering Nigerian, African and international news.

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