'Return home for Christmas' - Tinubu's govt tells Nigerians with expired passports

The Federal Government has said that Nigerians with expired passports who are planning to return home for the holidays should be allowed into the country.

This was contained in a letter dated December 22, 2023, and signed by the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Wura-Ola Adepoju, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, through the Office of Assistant Comptroller General, Border Management.

The Immigration Service asked that Nigerians "be admitted into the country with their expired Nigerian passports".

The statement reads: "l am directed to refer to the above subject matter and to inform you that the Federal Government of Nigeria in her efforts to make life easy for Nigerians in the diaspora has approved that all Nigerians returning home can be admitted into the country with their expired Nigerian passports.

"I am further directed to inform airlines coming to Nigeria to allow holders of Nigeria expired passports to board without let.

"In furtherance to the foregoing, all Nigeria Embassies and High Commissions are advised to give this directive the highest publicity it deserves.

"Consequent upon the above, all entry/exit points are by the copy of this letter directed to open a help desk for all Nigerians in this category and directed same to passport offices where their passports will be reissued within a maximum of two (2) weeks."

A reliable source at the NIS who craved anonymity confirmed that the policy was not new as the federal government did the same last year.