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A Nigerian living in the United States, Sage Vincent Ike, has alleged that renewing his Nigerian passport cost him more than ₦1 million due to prolonged delays, multiple payments and administrative challenges.

Ike made the allegation in a series of posts on X, where he narrated what he described as a frustrating four-month ordeal that disrupted his travel schedule and resulted in heavy financial losses.

According to him, he applied to renew his passport in March 2026 before its May expiration, ahead of planned trips to Japan, South Korea and Nigeria.

He explained that his biometric appointment was fixed for March 19 at the Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta, Georgia. However, after driving nearly three hours from North Carolina, he claimed he arrived to find the consulate closed for the Eid-el-Fitr holiday without any prior notification.

“I drove three hours from North Carolina, only to arrive and discover the Consulate was closed for the Salah holiday. There was no email notification, no website update on Google office hours, no text, and my appointment still showed March 19,” he wrote.

Ike stated that he eventually completed his biometric capture on March 27 and paid $230 for a 10-year passport, which also covered the correction of an error in the arrangement of his names.

He further claimed that he was later instructed to pay an additional $50 for the passport to be mailed to him, despite already providing a self-addressed envelope, increasing his total payment in the United States to $280.

According to him, several months passed without receiving the passport despite repeated attempts to reach the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, and the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

Frustrated by the delay, Ike said he sought assistance in Nigeria and spent another ₦460,000 in an effort to process a fresh passport before travelling home.

He also alleged that a family friend was asked to pay $150 before the passport could be released on his behalf, despite having the necessary authorisation to collect it.

To facilitate delivery of the passport to Nigeria, Ike said he paid an additional $176.35 through DHL, noting that hotel accommodation, feeding expenses and flight rescheduling further increased his financial losses.

He eventually received the passport on July 22 and travelled back to the United States on July 24.

“Beyond the money is the emotional toll of ‘Nigeria has happened to me’ the uncertainty, frustration and helplessness of watching fully paid international trips lost because of administrative inefficiency,” Ike stated.

Responding to the allegations, the Nigeria Immigration Service apologised for the inconvenience and emotional distress the applicant said he experienced.

“The Nigeria Immigration Service regrets the inconvenience and emotional distress this experience may have caused you. Kindly accept our sincere apologies,” the agency said in a post on X.

The Service explained that applications involving duplicate passports are subjected to thorough verification procedures to protect the integrity of the passport issuance system. It also described the alleged $150 payment demanded for third-party passport collection as illegal.

“We also wish to state that the payment of $150 for the secondary collection of a passport is illegal. Applicants are strongly advised not to patronise touts or unauthorised third parties.

“A duly signed letter of authorisation from the applicant is sufficient to enable collection by an authorised representative,” the agency added.

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