The Nigeria Immigration Service has reported that 8,552 Nigerians were enrolled through recent passport intervention exercises in the United States, Canada, Qatar and the United Kingdom, but the country-by-country figures contained in the same statement add up to 8,642, leaving an unexplained difference of 90 enrolments.
The discrepancy appears in a statement issued by the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, on Monday. The NIS said the intervention exercises were designed to bring passport services closer to Nigerians living abroad and improve access for applicants who have faced delays or difficulty reaching regular processing centres.
According to the figures attributed to the Service, 535 applicants were enrolled in the United States, 2,257 in Canada, 751 in Qatar and 5,099 in the United Kingdom. Taken together, those four figures total 8,642. The same statement, however, gives the overall total as 8,552.
Podium News has not found a clarification from the Nigeria Immigration Service explaining which of the published figures is incorrect. Until such a correction is issued, the safest reading is that the NIS has stated a total of 8,552 while its own country breakdown produces a different total.
The difference does not erase the wider significance of the intervention programme. Thousands of Nigerians abroad have used the exercises, particularly in countries where passport processing pressures have been a recurring concern for diaspora communities. The NIS said the exercises were conducted in collaboration with Nigerian diplomatic missions and representatives of Nigerian communities in the affected countries.
The United Kingdom has recorded the largest figure in the statement so far, with 5,099 enrolments in London and Manchester. The UK intervention remains ongoing. The Nigeria High Commission in London announced earlier in September that the exercise would cover Manchester and London, with additional sessions scheduled for Cardiff and Aberdeen. The High Commission said applicants were required to attend with their passport application documents, appointment slips and other supporting materials.
An earlier official NIS review of the UK exercise reported 2,296 enrolments during its first six operational days in London and Manchester. The Service said passport production and dispatch had begun alongside enrolment, while the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, visited the centres to assess service delivery.
The intervention programme forms part of a broader attempt to improve passport access for Nigerians at home and overseas. Podium News has previously reported on measures aimed at speeding up passport delivery, including moves to shorten passport collection times and the rollout of new digital immigration services.
For Nigerians in the diaspora, accurate reporting of enrolment numbers matters for more than record keeping. The figures help show the scale of demand, indicate where pressure is greatest and can influence how future passport interventions are planned. A numerical inconsistency in an official service-delivery update can therefore create avoidable uncertainty for applicants and community organisations trying to understand whether the intervention is meeting demand.
The NIS has also encouraged applicants who could not secure physical appointment slots, or who prefer not to visit intervention centres, to use its Contactless Passport Application System where available. The Service said it remains committed to making passport services more accessible, efficient and convenient for Nigerians living abroad.
Podium News will update this report if the Nigeria Immigration Service issues a corrected total or clarifies which country figure should be amended.
Call to action: Have you used the current Nigerian passport intervention service in the UK, United States, Canada or Qatar? Share your experience with Podium News, including how long the process took and whether your passport was delivered as expected.
