The Northern Caucus of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has dismissed allegations that the Federal Government’s ongoing passport centralisation programme is designed to marginalise Northern Nigeria, describing the claims as misinformation and propaganda.

The association maintained that the reform is a nationwide initiative aimed at strengthening the security, integrity and efficiency of Nigeria’s passport issuance system while improving service delivery for all citizens.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, NANS Vice President (External Affairs), Sadiq Zango, said the student body was responding to concerns raised by passport applicants and stakeholders in the North-East and North-West over the implementation of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Passport Centralisation Programme.

Zango said the association found no evidence that the policy targets any region, insisting that the claims were based on “deliberate falsehood” intended to mislead the public.

He explained that the migration of passport booklet production to the Central Personalisation Centre is purely an operational adjustment and does not affect the ability of Nigerians to apply for or receive passports at immigration offices nationwide or at Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad.

According to him, the initiative forms part of a broader modernisation programme designed to enhance the security, efficiency and credibility of Nigeria’s passport system.

He disclosed that the NIS adopted a five-phase implementation plan to migrate passport offices across the country and foreign missions to the new platform while minimising disruptions to service delivery.

Zango said the first three phases, which began in February 2025 and continued through 2026, covered passport offices in the North-Central, South-East and South-West geopolitical zones, excluding Lagos offices, which are scheduled for migration at a later stage.

He added that 41 Nigerian embassies and consulates across Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Oceania have already been integrated into the centralised system.

The fourth phase, slated for August 2026, will extend the programme to the remaining passport offices in the South-South, North-East and North-West, including Calabar, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Yenagoa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jalingo, Yola, Farm Centre Kano and Dawakin Kudu Kano.

“It is, therefore, far from the truth to assert that the Federal Government is trying to disenfranchise the North or any part of the country through the process,” Zango said.

NANS said its independent findings showed that only passport booklet printing and security personalisation would be centralised at a secure, high-capacity facility in Abuja, while passport application processing and issuance would continue at existing immigration offices nationwide.

The association noted that the new framework is expected to reduce passport production time to about two weeks, eliminate manual interference, curb fraud and irregularities, strengthen accountability and enhance security through uniform quality standards.

Commending the Nigeria Immigration Service for embracing technology-driven reforms, NANS said the initiative would align Nigeria’s passport administration with international best practices and improve the country’s global travel document standards.

The student body urged Nigerians, particularly those in the North, to disregard claims that the reform was intended to disadvantage any region, insisting that the programme is designed to benefit all citizens and deliver a more secure, efficient and internationally respected passport system.