FG Turning Public Services Into Cash Machines, Crushing Nigerians

*Shaking down Nigerians to fund bloated budget

On August 28, 2025, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) announced a sharp increase in passport application fees. The cost of the 32-page, 5-year passport has been raised from ₦50,000 to ₦100,000, and the 64-page, 10-year passport has risen from ₦100,000 to ₦200,000.

This is the second year in a row that NIS has raised fees so drastically. In August 2024, the 5-year passport went from ₦35,000 to ₦50,000, while the 10-year option increased from ₦70,000 to ₦100,000.

NIS claims it is trying to balance quality service delivery with accessibility. But raising prices does the exact opposite. It makes a basic form of identification unaffordable for many Nigerians. Both passport options now cost far more than the national minimum wage.

This issue goes beyond passport fees. It reflects a troubling shift in government attitude—one that treats public services as revenue-generating tools rather than essential support systems.

Public services as revenue generators

The core purpose of public agencies is service delivery. That is what separates them from private businesses, which exist to make profit.

But don’t take our word for it. Take the NIS mission statement, for example:

“To strengthen the security and prosperity of Nigeria through proactive, effective and efficient border security and migration management.”

When it comes to passports, the goal should be to help eligible Nigerians get their documents quickly and affordably. But under the Tinubu administration, there has been a clear shift. Agencies are now being pushed to generate revenue.

Another good example is the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), which recently reintroduced a 4% Free on Board (FOB) levy on imports. This move is clearly aimed at boosting revenue.

While revenue generation is part of the NCS mandate, the agency was already exceeding expectations. In the first quarter of the year, it achieved 106.47% of its revenue target. Despite this strong performance, there seems to be an unrelenting push to extract even more revenue, even if it comes at the expense of Nigerians’ quality of life.

The levy was first proposed earlier in the year, but was paused after backlash from stakeholders. The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) criticised the NCS for focusing on revenue instead of its core mandate of trade facilitation and economic development.

In February 2025, the NCS said it would pause the levy to consult with stakeholders. But in June, the Nigerian Senate raised the agency’s revenue target from ₦6.584 trillion to ₦10 trillion. By July, Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi announced the levy was back, saying: “We really do not have a choice. If you want to eat and lick better soup, we must be ready to fund it.”

The stakeholders NCS promised to consult are still against the levy. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has asked for it to be delayed at least until December 2025. But the government’s revenue goals seem to take priority.

Vehicle importers say the levy will make cars unaffordable for most Nigerians. This means only the very rich will be able to buy vehicles if prices continue to rise.

At the end of last year, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) celebrated a significant increase in revenue. The agency reported ₦112 billion in earnings for 2024 which was more than double its 2023 revenue of ₦54 billion.

This sharp rise was overseen by Olubunmi Kuku, the newly appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive of FAAN. A financial expert by background, her appointment by President Tinubu shows that boosting revenue is the main goal for his administration.

Turning public agencies into profit centres makes basic services harder to access. We have already seen this with public university tuition hikes, which have made higher education feel like a luxury, forcing parents to pay as much as ten times the previous fees. For example, the University of Lagos increased its tuition from ₦21,000 to over ₦200,000 for some faculties. 

Education is supposed to be a tool for social mobility. But when it becomes unaffordable, the gap between rich and poor only grows wider.

Robbing Peter to pay Tinubu

In July 2025, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned the Nigerian government to revise its budget due to falling oil prices. The 2025 budget of  ₦54.99 trillion is the biggest it has ever been and is almost double the 2024 budget of ₦27.5 trillion.

With oil revenues lower than expected, the government is scrambling to fund its massive spending. Unfortunately, it seems the solution it has chosen is to squeeze Nigerians for every kobo.

Ironically, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has urged President Tinubu to provide social safety nets. But this revenue-first approach is doing the opposite. It is making life harder for ordinary Nigerians.

What makes this even more disturbing is the government’s plan to increase salaries for elected officials, citing “economic challenges.” Yet there is no plan to raise the minimum wage to reflect those same economic challenges. These new salaries will be funded by reaching into the pockets of already struggling Nigerians.

What can you do to change this?

• Use whatever platform you have, including social media, to raise awareness and demand that the government prioritises service delivery over revenue generation.
• Start online petitions targeting specific issues (e.g. demanding that passport fees be reduced or that the increase in elected officials’ salaries be stopped). Platforms like this one are fairly easy to navigate.
• Call your representative in the National Assembly (NASS). The Senate Committee on Customs raised the NCS revenue target and demanded the resumption of the FOB levy. NASS must be pressured to reverse these decisions that make life harder for Nigerians. To find the contact details of the lawmaker representing your constituency at NASS, click here.
• Share this article to raise awareness about the issue.

COURTESY: zikoko.com