Nigerians in the U.S. Criticize Interior Minister for Ongoing Passport Issues

For Nigerians in the United States, renewing a passport has become an uphill battle marked by frustration, delays, and unnecessary expenses.

Despite repeated appeals, the passport printer crisis at the Nigerian Consulates in New York and Atlanta remains unresolved, leaving countless Nigerians stranded without valid travel documents.

In a statement issued by its President, Olutomi Aregbesola, the Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN), a prominent advocacy group, criticized the inefficiency and lack of action by Nigerian authorities.

According to OAN, the absence of passport printers in two of the busiest Nigerian consulates in the United States—New York and Atlanta—has created undue hardship for Nigerians. The ripple effects of this problem are felt across the diaspora, with individuals unable to renew passports to attend to emergencies, travel for work, or fulfill family obligations.

“This has made life increasingly difficult for Nigerians in the U.S.,” Aregbesola said. “The hardship caused by this issue is both unnecessary and avoidable.”

The group revealed that while two passport printers are stationed at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., one of them remains idle. Requests to reassign the unused printer to New York or Atlanta have gone unanswered, despite the New York Consulate serving the largest jurisdiction in the United States, with a high concentration of Nigerians.

OAN alleged that the refusal to deploy the idle printer to New York or Atlanta stems from “unfounded concerns” expressed by the former Minister of Interior, who reportedly worried that such a move might create discontent among diplomatic missions.

“This reasoning defies logic and reflects a lack of informed and strategic decision-making,” Aregbesola said, adding that the failure to act has exacerbated inefficiencies, led to unnecessary travel expenses for immigration officers, increased security risks, and delayed service delivery.

The statement also highlighted the emotional and financial toll on Nigerians who are forced to travel long distances to Washington, D.C., to process their passports—an option that often comes with additional travel and lodging costs.

OAN’s frustration stems from a lack of response to an appeal made over a year ago to Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. The group has now renewed its call, urging the minister to take immediate steps to resolve the crisis.

“We are not asking for miracles; we are asking for competence and responsiveness,” Aregbesola said. “Nigerians deserve better from their government, especially when it comes to something as fundamental as access to travel documents.”

The passport printer crisis is symptomatic of a larger issue—bureaucratic inefficiency and a lack of prioritization in addressing the needs of Nigerians in the diaspora. For a community that contributes significantly to the Nigerian economy through remittances, the lack of attention to such basic services is disheartening.