KANO PASSPORT SERVICES: REFORM OR A NEW BURDEN ON NORTHERNERS?
FG, NIS Must Explain Any Reduction, Relocation or Disruption.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
Democracy Newsline Northern Bureau Chief
August 11, 2026.
The Federal Government and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) owe Nigerians a clear explanation over any reduction, relocation, suspension or restructuring of passport services in Kano.
This is not merely a dispute over a government office. It is a question of citizens’ rights, economic access, mobility, business and good governance.
For millions of people who depend on Kano as a major commercial and administrative centre, any move that makes passport services more distant could mean additional transport costs, accommodation expenses, lost working hours and unnecessary delays.
And for thousands of Nigerians preparing for Hajj and Umrah, timely access to travel documents is particularly important.
However, the facts must be separated from speculation. Available NIS records do not establish that Kano’s passport services have been permanently abolished. Kano Passport Office remains listed in the NIS 2026 Service Level Agreement, while the Service’s digital passport platform continues to provide online applications, appointments and centre-availability functions.
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If Kano’s passport services are being changed in any significant way, what exactly is changing—and why?
The public deserves an answer.
A passport is not a luxury. It is an essential travel document for Nigerians travelling abroad for business, education, employment, medical treatment, family obligations, tourism, religious activities and international engagements.
Although the passport application process is increasingly digital, applicants must still physically appear at an Immigration Office for biometric enrolment. Therefore, digitalisation cannot be used as a reason to ignore the importance of accessible physical service centres.
If a Kano resident is required to travel to another city for biometric capture, the official passport fee is only part of the cost.
There may be transportation, food, accommodation, local travel and lost income.
For a wealthy applicant, this may be inconvenient.
For a small trader, driver, student, civil servant or low-income family, it could be a serious financial burden.
Government efficiency must not come at the expense of citizens’ convenience and economic survival.
Kano is one of Nigeria’s most important commercial centres and serves communities far beyond its immediate boundaries. Businesses depend on international mobility to source goods, meet partners, attend conferences, explore markets and manage import and export activities.
Any unnecessary difficulty in obtaining travel documents therefore has consequences beyond the applicant.
It can affect businesses, transport operators, travel agencies, photographers, food vendors, accommodation providers and other small enterprises that depend on the movement of people.
Thousands of Nigerians, particularly from Northern Nigeria, travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah. It would be wrong to claim that changes to passport services automatically prevent pilgrimage.
But it would also be wrong to ignore the obvious reality: passport delays can complicate international travel preparations, particularly when applicants face strict deadlines.
The impact can extend to travel agencies, ticketing companies, transport operators, accommodation providers, pilgrimage organisers and other businesses.
That is welcome.
But modernisation should mean faster and more accessible services—not greater distance between citizens and government.
If there is a problem at a Kano facility, fix it.
If equipment is inadequate, provide more.
If staff are insufficient, deploy more personnel.
If security is the concern, strengthen security.
If technology is the problem, upgrade it.
But the answer should not simply be to make ordinary Nigerians travel farther and spend more.
Centralised passport production does not have to mean centralised access.
Kano can instead become a model regional passport centre, equipped with modern biometric technology, reliable connectivity, adequate staffing, transparent appointment systems and efficient customer service.
The Kano State Government should urgently seek clarification from the NIS on the current and future status of passport services in the state.
The NIS, for its part, should tell the public plainly:
Are services operating normally?
Have any services been reduced or relocated?
If so, why?
What alternative has been provided?
Will applicants face additional costs or delays?
What is being done to protect elderly, disabled and low-income applicants?
These are not political questions.
They are questions of accountability and good governance.
Northern legislators should also demand official data and explanations rather than allowing the matter to remain a subject of social-media speculation.
It is about whether government reforms genuinely bring services closer to citizens or quietly transfer the cost of administrative efficiency to the people.
The question is not:
“Why does Kano want to retain a passport office?”
The real question is:
“Why should Nigerians face additional distance, expense and inconvenience in obtaining an essential government travel document when efficient services can be provided closer to them?”
Kano deserves passport services that reflect its population, economic importance and regional role.
And Nigeria deserves a public administration that makes citizens feel that government is closer to them—not farther away.
This is not a demand for special treatment.
It is a demand for transparency.
It is a demand for fairness.
It is a demand for good governance.
And it is a call for government to make life easier—not harder—for the Nigerian citizen.
Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
Democracy Newsline Northern Bureau Chief email balasalihudawakinkudu@gmail.com, +2348060017934
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER 11TH AUGUST, 2026)
