The Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom has reduced its administrative fee for the ongoing passport intervention exercise from £70 to £20, yielding to intense public scrutiny, protests from affected citizens, and inter-ministerial pushback over unapproved charges.
The revised £20 fee appeared quietly on the High Commission’s official website on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, four days into the special consular initiative.
Applicants were not formally notified via email, though the updated online portal reflects the original £20 limit established during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for diplomatic facility usage.
A separate £150 fee remains active for individuals replacing lost, misplaced, or damaged passports.
The exercise designed to address acute delays in passport renewals across the UK, ran into immediate controversy after mission officials began collecting an unauthorized £70 surcharge per applicant.
Reports indicate fees were collected from approximately 3,000 applicants, far exceeding the daily processing capacity of under 300 individuals.
On September 7, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo publicly disavowed the fee, clarifying that neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had authorized any extra charges.
Expressing concern over the hardship faced by the Nigerian diaspora, Tunji-Ojo stated he was engaged in ongoing consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the administrative lapse.
The fee controversy coincided with logistics disruptions in London, where officials temporarily suspended biometric capturing at the primary location on Tuesday, September 8, redirecting applicants to regional satellite venues.
While the fee reduction offers financial relief, diaspora groups continue to press government officials regarding potential refunds for the estimated thousands of applicants who paid the initial £70 rate.
