The 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, has lambasted the President bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government’s decision to increase the cost of Nigerian passports, expressing surprise that the government has continued to add to the burden of Nigerians.
Obi observed that at N100,000 for a 32-page booklet, the international travel document has become higher than the minimum wage of N70,000, while that of a 64-page booklet was further jacked up to N200,000.
Taking to his X handle on Thursday night, the former governor of Anambra State, wrote, “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.
“The International Passport fees in Nigeria have now skyrocketed to ₦100,000 for a 32-page booklet and ₦200,000 for 64 pages. This is the third increase in just two years.
“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.
“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.”