UK SPECIAL PASSPORT INTERVENTION: WHEN RESULTS BEGIN TO SPEAK.
By Wale Obanigba, Esq.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
Public policy, at the beginning, is rarely implemented under perfect conditions. What matters, particularly in the delivery of essential public services, is whether government can identify a need, respond effectively, correct emerging shortcomings and ultimately deliver definite results.
The ongoing Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Special Passport Intervention Exercise in the United Kingdom provides a useful illustration. The intervention was designed to bring passport services closer to Nigerians resident in the UK, facilitate fresh applications and renewals, address pending cases and reduce the cost, inconvenience and logistical difficulties associated with obtaining or renewing Nigerian passports.
Its commencement, however, was not without difficulties. Technical challenges, particularly at the Manchester Centre on the opening day, resulted in delays and understandably attracted criticism. The naysayers may have seen the opening-day difficulties as an opportunity for political attack. But the subsequent resolutions and measurable achievements have demonstrated, once again, the growing performance indicators of Hon. Tunji-Ojo at the Ministry of Interior.
The more appropriate assessment, therefore, is not simply how the intervention began, but how government responded and what it has achieved since.
Within the first six operational days, 2,296 applicants had been successfully enrolled across the London and Manchester centres. Manchester accounted for 1,709, while London recorded 587.
These figures demonstrate both the demand for the intervention and the capacity of the Nigerian Immigration Service, to process a substantial number of applicants within a relatively short period.
More importantly, passport production and dispatch have commenced. The exercise is therefore moving beyond registration and biometric capture towards its ultimate objective. The delivering of valid Nigerian passports to citizens who require them.
The authorities have also responded to the scale of demand by extending the exercise. Originally scheduled to end on September 19, the intervention has now been extended by two weeks to October 3, 2026.
That decision deserves applause. Rather than allowing the programme to terminate according to its original timetable despite continuing demand, the authorities created additional time and capacity for more Nigerians to benefit.
The issue of the administrative fee has equally seen a significant resolution.
Following concerns over the initial £70 charge, the Nigeria High Commission in London clarified that the approved standard administrative charge was £20. Applicants who had already paid £70 were to receive a £50 refund.
Whatever the circumstances surrounding the initial charge, the important point is that the issue was addressed and corrective action announced. That is an important feature of responsive public administration.
Of course, these developments should not make the intervention immune from scrutiny. The extended period should be used to improve coordination, technology, communication and appointment management, while ensuring that completed passports are delivered promptly.
But mature public discourse should also recognise achievement when the evidence supports it. Government can encounter difficulties and still deliver meaningful results. Citizens can have legitimate complaints while government respond to those complaints and improve its performance.
For the Minister of Interior, the UK Special Passport Intervention Exercise is another addition to a growing record of measurable performance. A record demonstrated by problems resolved, services delivered and programmes expanded when the needs of citizens demand it.
The opening-day difficulties were real and should provide lessons for improvement. But they should not become the permanent definition of an intervention whose subsequent performance tells a considerably different story.
2,296 applicants enrolled. Passport production and dispatch underway. The disputed £70 charge corrected to £20, with £50 refunds for affected applicants. And the exercise extended to October 3 because demand remained high. These are measurable outcomes.
The intervention began with turbulence, but it has since demonstrated responsiveness, scale and delivery. That is the performance that should ultimately speak.
Wale Obanigba writes from Akure.
