The Nigerian High Commission in London has announced that Nigerians who paid a £70 administrative fee during the ongoing passport intervention exercise will receive a £50 refund.
The mission clarified that the approved administrative charge for the exercise is £20, meaning applicants who paid £70 were charged £50 above the approved fee.
In a fresh notice published on its official website on Friday, September 11, the High Commission said the clarification became necessary following reports and commentaries circulating over the charges being imposed on applicants.
The mission urged Nigerians to disregard information it described as inaccurate or misleading.
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“This is to inform all passport intervention applicants who have paid a £70 admin fee that £50 will be refunded to you, £20 being the standard admin fee,” the mission stated.
The High Commission also categorically rejected reports suggesting that the £70 administrative charge had received presidential approval.
“For the avoidance of doubt, any claim suggesting that an administrative fee of £70.00 received presidential approval is incorrect. The approved standard administrative charge remains £20.00,” the mission said.
However, the mission did not explain why the £70 fee was initially imposed or how the additional £50 was collected from some applicants.
Federal Government, Immigration Service Deny Additional Charges
The controversy had earlier prompted reactions from the Federal Government and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), both of which denied introducing additional charges for the passport intervention exercise.
The Federal Ministry of Interior said on September 8 that applicants were only required to pay the approved passport fees, alongside any applicable bank charges.
The ministry stressed that neither it nor the NIS had introduced any separate administrative charge for the intervention exercise.
The NIS subsequently reiterated on September 11 that applicants were not required to pay additional charges to access the passport intervention exercise.
Passport Intervention Exercise Extended
Meanwhile, the passport intervention exercise in the United Kingdom has been extended from its original closing date of September 19 to October 3.
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The extension covers applicants in London and Manchester, following the large number of Nigerians seeking to take advantage of the exercise.
According to the NIS, 1,477 applicants were processed and enrolled within the first four days, while more than half of the passports produced had already been dispatched to applicants.
Despite the extension, some Nigerians in the UK have continued to raise concerns over delays in passport processing, administrative charges and difficulties encountered during the exercise.
There have also been complaints about communication with the Nigerian High Commission, particularly from applicants experiencing difficulties contacting the mission for clarification or assistance.
The High Commission has therefore urged Nigerians to rely exclusively on information released through its authorized communication channels.
It also distanced itself from publications and commentaries containing what it described as inaccurate or misleading information, stressing that such materials did not originate from the mission.
The mission reaffirmed its commitment to providing efficient and transparent services to Nigerians living in the United Kingdom.
