The Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) has criticised the Nigeria High Commission in London over its choice of venues for the December 2025 Passport Intervention Exercise.
According to MPAC, the selection of exclusively church-owned facilities undermines Nigeria’s religious diversity and violates the principle of government neutrality in public service delivery.
In a statement signed by its Executive Chairman, Disu Kamor, MPAC said it discovered that all the published venues for the upcoming passport intervention were either Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) facilities or centres formerly established by the denomination, including locations where RCCG’s name had been removed from signage but remained the recognised owner.
MPAC listed the venues published by the High Commission for cities including Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Swansea and Aberdeen, noting that the pattern “cannot be explained away as coincidence or logistical inevitability.”
The group said the arrangement was “unmistakable, deeply troubling, and inconsistent with the constitutional and moral obligation of the Nigerian government to maintain religious neutrality.”
According to the organisation, Nigerian Muslims and other citizens in the United Kingdom should never be placed in situations where they must enter a location associated with another faith tradition in order to access a basic national service.
It warned that such practices risk eroding trust and sending a message of exclusion to segments of the diaspora community.
“This approach, whether deliberate or the result of poor judgement, is deeply insensitive,” the statement said.
MPAC added that while Nigeria’s diaspora community in the UK is religiously diverse, the venue selection suggests an “alignment” between a public institution and a single religious denomination.
The group called on the Nigeria High Commission to immediately review and replace the listed venues with neutral alternatives such as council halls, civic centres, community centres, school halls or other public-access locations commonly used for diaspora engagements.
MPAC also urged the Commission to adopt a transparent venue-selection policy to ensure balance and prevent future institutional bias.
It further recommended engagement with a wider range of Nigerian community structures in the UK, including Muslim organisations, non-religious civic groups and interfaith platforms, in order to improve inclusivity.
MPAC demanded that the High Commission provide an explanation for the choice of venues and outline measures to avoid a recurrence.
“Government services must not add to the burdens Nigerians abroad already face,” the group said, warning that homogeneous venue selection “fuels suspicion and undermines the unity” the Nigerian state is expected to promote.
The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to advocating fairness and justice in all public processes affecting Nigerians, stressing that national institutions abroad must reflect the country’s plural identity.
“Our expectation is simple and legitimate: national institutions must reflect the nation, not a denomination,” MPAC stated.
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