Olayinka Slams Peter Obi Over Criticism of Passport Fee Hike

|By Adejumo Adekunle

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has fired back at Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for condemning the Federal Government’s recent increase in international passport fees.

The Federal Government had on Thursday announced new rates—N100,000 for a 32-page booklet and N200,000 for a 64-page booklet—sparking outrage among citizens. Obi criticized the policy, arguing that the cost of obtaining a passport had now exceeded Nigeria’s minimum wage.

But Olayinka countered the claim in a post on X, insisting that at no time in Nigeria’s history had passport fees been lower than the minimum wage. He further argued that international passports should not be equated with the cost of living.

“Was there any time in Nigeria that the cost of international passport was lower than minimum wage? Is international passport part of the cost of living anywhere in the world?” Olayinka asked.

The exchange has deepened the debate around the affordability of passports amid rising living costs in the country.