Our Reporter, Abuja
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has condemned the Federal Government’s newly announced increase in the cost of international passports, describing it as another burden on already suffering Nigerians.
Obi, in a statement on Thursday, said the hike further exposed the administration’s “disconnect from the people and their struggles.”
“The obsession of this administration with putting a burden on the populace is becoming legendary and continues to reveal its apparent disconnect with the people and the suffering,” Obi said.
The Federal Government recently raised the cost of international passports to ₦100,000 for a 32-page booklet and ₦200,000 for a 64-page booklet—marking the third increment in two years.
Obi faulted the move, noting that the new rates now surpass the recently approved national minimum wage of ₦70,000, a situation he described as “alarming and unacceptable.”
“In a country where the new minimum wage is only ₦70,000, the cost of a single passport now exceeds a worker’s monthly salary—probably the only country in the world to achieve this feat,” he stated.
The former Anambra governor argued that rather than easing the hardship in the country, government policies have continued to worsen the plight of ordinary Nigerians.
“Instead of making life easier, this government keeps shifting the burden onto ordinary Nigerians. It is alarming that the price of the international passport is higher than what workers earn in a month,” Obi added.
The Labour Party chieftain called on the government to review the decision, warning that the policy further erodes citizens’ trust in leadership at a time when economic conditions remain harsh.
