Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reacted to the recent complaints over the increase in the cost of obtaining an international passport in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Immigration Service recently raised the price of passports by 100%, a move that has drawn criticism from many Nigerians, including Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi. Obi argued that with Nigeria’s minimum wage at ₦70,000, an average worker cannot even afford the new passport fees.
Olayinka, however, dismissed these arguments. Writing on his X account, he asked whether, at any time in Nigeria’s history, the cost of an international passport had ever been lower than the minimum wage. He also questioned whether passports should even be counted as part of the cost of living, like food, rent, or transportation.
In his words, Olayinka said: “Was there any time in Nigeria that the cost of an International Passport was lower than the Minimum Wage? Is an International Passport part of the cost of living anywhere in the world? Just what you get when you take advice from a madman.
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