The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to withdraw and deactivate Nigerian passports held by individuals who have officially renounced their citizenship. The directive, issued on Friday, applies only to those whose renunciation has been approved and registered by the president under Section 29 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The law allows any citizen of full age to renounce Nigerian citizenship, and upon presidential registration of the declaration, the person ceases to be a citizen. Tunji-Ojo stated that such individuals are no longer entitled to hold sovereign Nigerian documents, including the national passport. He described the retention of a Nigerian passport after renunciation as a violation of legal and administrative protocols. The minister cited the need to preserve the integrity of the citizenship system and support ongoing passport and visa reforms. These reforms aim to strengthen national security, prevent identity fraud, and improve identity management. The move is expected to ensure that only legitimate citizens access the rights and privileges tied to Nigerian nationality.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo's directive to reclaim passports from former citizens exposes a long-ignored loophole in Nigeria's citizenship enforcement. For years, individuals who formally renounced Nigerian citizenship, including those who acquired foreign nationalities, continued to hold Nigerian passports without legal basis. The fact that this clarification is only now being enforced, despite clear constitutional provisions since 1999, suggests systemic inattention rather than ignorance. The minister is acting on a black-letter law, but the timing and focus reveal a deeper effort to clean up identity documentation amid rising concerns over dual allegiance and document abuse.
This move fits within broader security and administrative reforms aimed at tightening Nigeria's border control and travel documentation. The NIS has faced criticism over compromised passport issuance, and this directive strengthens its legal standing in deactivating documents tied to non-citizens. By anchoring the action in Section 29 of the Constitution, the ministry avoids overreach while asserting institutional authority. It also signals a shift toward treating citizenship as a legal status with enforceable boundaries, not a symbolic or lifelong entitlement regardless of formal renunciation.
Ordinary Nigerians, especially those navigating the passport system, stand to benefit from a more credible and secure documentation regime. If enforcement extends to detecting false claims of citizenship at home and abroad, it could reduce fraud that undermines legitimate travel and consular access. Diaspora Nigerians who retain passports without legal standing may face scrutiny, but the policy targets only those who have formally renounced.
This reflects a growing trend of Nigerian institutions revisiting constitutional provisions to fix operational gaps, not through new laws, but by enforcing existing ones.
