The Nigerian Passport Rip-Off: A Symbol of National Disgrace and Diaspora Exploitation

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

When former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, openly admitted that the Nigerian passport is “almost worthless abroad,” he wasn’t exaggerating. In fact, his words captured the daily humiliation faced by millions of Nigerians across the globe. Despite the glaring decline in its global value, the Nigerian passport remains one of the most expensive in the world. This contradiction (PAYING A PREMIUM PRICE FOR A DOCUMENT THAT INVITES SUSPICION AND REJECTION AT BORDERS) is not just illogical; it’s criminal.

Today, in 2025, Nigerians in the diaspora are being bled dry under the pretext of acquiring basic identity documents. The National Identity Number (NIN), originally meant to be a free or affordable civic right, has become a commercial racket. It now costs as high as R1,250 (about ₦110,000) even for a six-year-old child in obtaining a NIN in South Africa. This isn’t just unethical, it’s extortion.

This is a business for someone at others’ pains,” lamented Rika Augusta, a frustrated Nigerian mother in South Africa whose six-year-old daughter was forced to pay the full amount just to be recognised as Nigerian.

For a country ranked 131st out of 139 countries on the Henley Passport Index in terms of travel freedom, the price Nigerians pay for this underperforming passport is nothing short of madness. According to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the “enhanced e-passport” costs between ₦400,000 to ₦600,000, excluding service charges imposed by third-party agencies such as OIS and other consular fees. These costs triple when processed from abroad.

Benjy Oloye, a Nigerian in South Africa, echoes the frustration of many:
“I captured in January. Since then, it’s been one story after another. Till today, nothing. Is this a passport or a miracle
we’re praying for?”

The bottlenecks and delays are not merely bureaucratic hiccups;
they are deliberate schemes. The outsourcing of biometric capture and passport
issuance to third-party companies like Online Integrated Services (OIS) has become a well-oiled machine of financial exploitation. Nigerians are forced to pay additional “admin” and “service” fees that are neither regulated nor justified.

“OIS service fee: R100.
Consulate admin fee:
R350.
This is an organised
scam,” revealed Bennie, another Nigerian in

South Africa who has meticulously documented every extra cost.

One wonders: How did we get here?

The Politics of Pain and Profit
The answer is simple; GREED. The Nigerian system is deeply infested with a culture of monetising misery. From driver’s licenses to passports and now even the NIN, everything has become a money-making scheme for a few elites at the expense of 220 million Nigerians.

Pastor Israel Angel White, based in Pretoria, aptly described the situation:
“Some guys are making money out of this, no doubt. Greed is in their DNA. It’s awful.”

This systemic extortion is especially cruel for those in the diaspora who have already endured the trauma of leaving their homeland in search of better opportunities. They contribute over $25 billion annually in remittances, yet they are treated as nothing more than ATM machines by the Nigerian government.

“The Nigerian government sees those of us in the diaspora as nothing more than a cash cow,” says a Nigerian professional in Cape Town. “We’re paying premium prices for substandard services and being told to smile while doing it.”

Data Don’t Lie
Let’s take a moment to compare:

United States Passport: $165 (~₦250,000) with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 180 countries.

United Kingdom Passport: £82.50 (~₦130,000) with 190+ countries accessible.

Nigerian Passport: ₦400,000+ with access to barely 46 countries visa-free, mostly in West Africa.

So why does the Nigerian passport cost more than world-leading passports? Why does a six-year-old child have to pay same as an adult to get a NIN? The answer lies not in logistics or technology, but in intentional extortion.

A Culture of Silence and Endurance
What’s perhaps more disturbing is how this exploitation has been normalised. Nigerians, whether at home or abroad, have become so accustomed to pain and systemic failure that they rarely push back.

“We can’t afford it; it’s a lot of money. But one thing about being Nigerian is that we’ve mastered the art of adapting, even to pain,” said one diaspora student in Durban. “We’ve normalized struggle so much that we don’t even question it anymore.”

But enough is enough. There must be a call for mass mobilisation. Nigerians in the diaspora are more than 17 million strong and their voices can no longer be silenced. Imagine if each of them sent an email or letter demanding reform, that kind of pressure is impossible to ignore.

The Diaspora Must Lead the Charge
The diaspora cannot remain passive observers. We must become vocal actors. Through organised action ie: letters, petitions, lobbying international media and using legal mechanisms in host countries, yes we can expose and dismantle this daylight robbery.

We must ask:

Why is there no price differentiation for children and economically disadvantaged citizens?

Why are there no audit reports on the revenue generated from these services?

Why are third-party companies allowed to fleece Nigerians without regulatory oversight?

Why is the Nigerian passport not getting global upgrade despite its inflated cost?

If answers are not provided, then accountability must be demanded.

A National Shame
This entire mess speaks to the deeper rot in Nigeria’s governance system. A government that cannot deliver something as basic as a passport or identity card is one that has failed fundamentally. It is a betrayal of trust, an insult to every citizen who dreams of a better life under the green-white-green flag.

When identity becomes a luxury, then nationality becomes a prison.

This is not just about passports and NIN. It’s about the dignity of Nigerians. It’s about fighting a system that sees its own people as prey. It’s about saying “No more!” to those who profit from our pain.

Final Thoughts: Nigeria, We Hail Thee?
Indeed, “Nigeria we hail thee” not in reverence, but in disbelief. For how long shall citizens continue to bleed for basic rights? For how long shall diaspora Nigerians, the backbone of our economic survival, be treated as expendable wallets?

The time to act is now.

As long as we remain silent, they will continue to inflate our costs, delay our documents, insult our intelligence and trample on our dignity.

The Nigerian passport saga is not just a national embarrassment, it is a scandal, a theft and a crime against citizenship.

George Omagbemi Sylvester
Political Analyst, Diaspora Advocate and Contributor to SaharaWeeklyNG.com