The Federal Government has ordered the immediate withdrawal and deactivation of Nigerian passports held by individuals who have formally renounced their citizenship.
The directive was issued by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and is to be enforced by the Nigeria Immigration Service. According to the government, the move is aimed at strengthening national identity systems and ensuring that only recognised citizens hold Nigerian travel documents.
The announcement was made in a statement released on Saturday by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media, Alao Babatunde. The statement explained that the directive applies only to individuals whose renunciation of Nigerian citizenship has been formally approved by the President.
Tunji-Ojo said the decision is based on the provisions of Section 29 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which clearly outlines the process and implications of renouncing citizenship.
Under the law, any Nigerian of full age who wishes to give up their citizenship must make a formal declaration. Once the President approves and registers that declaration, the individual officially ceases to be a Nigerian citizen.
Quoting the Constitution, the statement noted that once the process is completed, “the person who made the declaration shall cease to be a citizen of Nigeria.”
The minister stressed that once a person is no longer a citizen, they are not entitled to hold any official Nigerian document. This includes the Nigerian passport, which serves as proof of nationality and identity when travelling abroad.
“Once citizenship is withdrawn, the person can no longer lay claim to any sovereign document of Nigeria,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that the directive is part of ongoing reforms in the country’s passport and visa systems. In recent years, the Ministry of Interior has introduced several measures aimed at improving the security, credibility, and efficiency of Nigeria’s travel documents.
According to the minister, the latest action is designed to close a loophole that allowed some former citizens to continue using Nigerian passports even after their renunciation had been approved.
Before now, there have been concerns that individuals who had formally given up their Nigerian citizenship were still in possession of valid passports. This situation, officials say, created risks for identity fraud and misuse of Nigerian documents.
Tunji-Ojo said the government is determined to address such gaps and ensure that the country’s identity management system remains strong and reliable.
“We will continue to strengthen systems that secure Nigeria’s borders, prevent identity fraud, preserve the sanctity of Nigerian citizenship, and support legitimate travel,” he said.
The development is expected to affect Nigerians in the diaspora who choose to take up citizenship in other countries and formally renounce their Nigerian status. While Nigeria allows dual citizenship in some cases, individuals who go through the formal process of renunciation are considered to have fully given up their Nigerian identity.
In Nigeria, the Nigeria Immigration Service is responsible for issuing and managing passports, as well as monitoring the movement of people in and out of the country. The agency is expected to begin implementing the directive immediately by identifying affected individuals and withdrawing their travel documents.
The policy also reflects broader efforts by the Federal Government to improve border security and modernise immigration processes. With increasing global concerns about illegal migration, terrorism, and identity theft, many countries are tightening their systems to ensure better control.
For ordinary Nigerians, the announcement may not have immediate impact, but it highlights the importance of citizenship status and the legal processes involved in changing it.
These include the right to vote, access to certain government services, and the ability to hold a Nigerian passport.
As the government moves to enforce the new directive, affected individuals are expected to comply by returning their passports or facing possible sanctions.
The Ministry of Interior has assured that the policy is not meant to punish anyone, but to ensure that Nigeria’s systems remain secure and in line with the law.
With this move, the Federal Government has signalled its intention to take stricter control of citizenship records and protect the integrity of Nigerian identity documents in an increasingly complex global environment.