The Federal Government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to immediately withdraw and deactivate Nigerian passports in the possession of persons who have formally renounced their Nigerian citizenship, closing what authorities described as a longstanding gap that had allowed former citizens to continue travelling on Nigerian sovereign documents long after their renunciation was officially recognised.
The directive was issued by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and made public on Saturday through a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Alao Babatunde. It applies specifically to individuals whose applications to renounce their Nigerian citizenship have been formally approved by the President of the Federal Republic, in line with the constitutional process governing such matters.
Tunji-Ojo anchored the legal basis for the directive on Section 29(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended, which provides the framework for citizenship renunciation. The provision stipulates that any citizen of full age who wishes to renounce Nigerian citizenship must make a declaration in the prescribed manner, and that upon the President's registration of such a declaration, the person concerned immediately ceases to be a Nigerian citizen. The minister argued that as a direct consequence of that constitutional provision, a person who is no longer a citizen of Nigeria has no legal basis to hold or travel on any sovereign document of the Nigerian state, including a passport.
The minister described the directive as a natural extension of the broader passport and visa reforms that the Interior Ministry had been undertaking in recent years, saying the latest action was aimed specifically at plugging a loophole in the system that had gone unaddressed for far too long. He said the integrity of Nigerian citizenship and the credibility of Nigerian travel documents demanded that the state take firm steps to ensure that only bona fide citizens enjoyed the privileges that came with holding a Nigerian passport.
Tunji-Ojo said the ministry remained committed to strengthening the systems that secured Nigeria's borders, prevented identity fraud and preserved the sanctity of Nigerian citizenship, while also facilitating legitimate travel and blocking unauthorised or ineligible access to official Nigerian documents. "We will continue to strengthen systems that secure Nigeria's borders, prevent identity fraud, preserve the sanctity of Nigerian citizenship, and facilitate legitimate travel while preventing unauthorised or ineligible access," he stated.
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