Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has bared his mind on the recent upward review in the Nigerian Standard Passport fees.
The upward review, which is an increase in the fees of the Nigerian Standard passport, was made known by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) via a Press Release on Wednesday.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Coalition member said, this administration under the All Progressives Congress (APC) is “obsessed with putting a burden on the populace”.
He said, this administration has not for once hesitated to reveal how disconnected it is from “the people and the suffering”.
In the Press Release on the upward review of the Nigerian Standard passport, the NIS made known, the new fee for a 32-page five year passport and 64-page ten year passport will now cost ₦100,000 and ₦200,000 respectively.
Obi descibed the move as the “third increase in just two years”, in a county where the national minimum wage is ₦70,000.
In his reaction on X, Obi said: “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 the 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.
“Instead of making life easier, this government keeps shifting the burden onto ordinary Nigerians. It is alarming that the price of the international passport is higher than what workers earn in a month.”
