The Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom has announced plans to refund £50 to applicants who paid a £70 administrative fee for the ongoing passport intervention exercise.
The refund will effectively reduce the administrative charge paid by the affected applicants to £20, the fee previously approved for similar intervention exercises.
The commission announced the refund in a notice published on its website on Friday, following protests and scrutiny over the £70 charge.
The high commission had initially charged applicants £70 for the intervention, while those seeking replacement of lost passports were reportedly charged £150.
The charges sparked controversy after it emerged that the £70 administrative fee had not been approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The £20 administrative fee had been fixed by the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari during an earlier passport intervention exercise.
The latest development came amid a separate clarification by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) that applicants should not pay additional charges to participate in the intervention exercise.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had earlier expressed concern over the difficulties encountered by Nigerians during the exercise and denied that applicants were required to pay separate administrative fees.
In a statement on Friday, NIS Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, said the applicable passport fees remained $162 for a five-year validity booklet and $242 for a 10-year validity booklet.
Akinlabi said that, despite challenges experienced on the first day, the exercise was progressing smoothly at the London and Manchester centres.
He urged eligible Nigerians to book appointments through the Nigerian High Commission’s website, stressing that “no additional charges are required” to participate in the intervention exercise.
According to him, 1,477 Nigerians were successfully processed and enrolled within the first four days of the exercise.
“Over half of those enrolled have already had their passports produced and dispatched to their respective addresses,” he said.
Akinlabi also disclosed that, in response to the high turnout and interest, Tunji-Ojo had approved an extension of the exercise in London and Manchester from September 19 to October 3.
He said further details on the extended dates, participating locations and appointment procedures would be communicated through the official channels of the NIS and Nigerian High Commission.
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