Well, let me tell you, this whole thing about getting a Nigerian passport, it ain’t as easy as pie. You gotta jump through hoops, I tell ya! These young folks today with their internet, they think everything is click, click, done. Back in my day, you had to walk ten miles uphill both ways just to find a pen! But I heard you can do it online now. Online! Imagine that.
First off, you gotta have all your papers in a row. They say you need this thing called a NIN. Sounds like some kinda ninja thing to me, but I reckon it’s important. It’s like your number, your special number that says “yep, this is me.” And then you gotta have your birthday, of course. You’d think they’d know that already, but I guess not. They want it all, I tell you. They want proof you are who you say you are. So you need a birth certificate, I reckon. You gotta prove you weren’t just hatched from an egg or something.
Then there’s this whole online business. You gotta go to some special website, some Nigerian passport place on the computer. I heard it called a portal. They got a link for a new passport for people who ain’t got one. They call that “fresh”. It is like fresh milk from the cow. And they got other stuff there too, I suppose, for folks who already have one. You know, like renewing your old one. They say it’s easier, but you never know with these things.

Now, listen up, this is important. They say it takes a long time. Like, a really long time. Weeks! They say six weeks for a new one. Six weeks is a mighty long time to wait, especially when you got places to be. And if you just need to fix your old one, they say three weeks. Still a long time, if you ask me. If it’s a data correction, they say it takes eight weeks! Who knows what that means. Maybe they write your name wrong. And you better believe you gotta pay.
- Six weeks for a brand spanking new Nigerian passport.
- Three weeks to get your old one fixed up, like patching a hole in your trousers.
- Eight weeks, eight whole weeks, if your information is not correct.
I heard they raised the price, too. It used to be cheaper, I reckon. Everything is getting more expensive these days. Back when I was a girl, a penny could buy you a whole loaf of bread. Now, you need a whole sack of money just to get this little book. They say it is N50,000 or N100,000 now. That is a lot of money!
And then there’s this thing called “biometric.” Sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. They take your picture, I think, and maybe your fingerprints. It’s all very fancy. They say you gotta do that before they even start working on your passport. So you gotta go somewhere special, I suppose, and get all that done. It is like a special ceremony you gotta do.
This whole Nigerian passport thing, it’s a lot of rigmarole, if you ask me. But I guess if you wanna travel, you gotta do it. I heard it’s important to have one if you go to other countries. It’s like your ticket to the world, they say. You need it to prove who you are, so they do not think you are some kind of spy or something.
I remember when old Mr. Johnson down the road got his passport. He was so excited. He was going to see his daughter in America. He waited and waited, and finally, it came. He was so happy, he danced a jig right there in the middle of the road! This Nigerian passport is important, I guess.
They say this online thing is supposed to be easier. Saves you time, they say. No more standing in long lines, I suppose. But you still gotta have all your papers, and you still gotta pay that money. And you still gotta wait. So, I don’t know. Maybe it’s easier, maybe it’s not. These new ways always have their own troubles, that is for sure.
Anyway, if you’re trying to get one of these Nigerian passports, I wish you luck. You’ll need it! It is a process, that is for sure. Just follow what they tell you to do on that computer website. And have your money ready. And be prepared to wait.
Maybe one day, they’ll make it really easy. Maybe they’ll just give you a passport when you’re born. Wouldn’t that be something? But until then, you just gotta do what they say. That’s how it is, I suppose. This is how you buy Nigerian passport. That’s the way of the world.