Nigerian Government Fees API: AI-Powered Public Service Data

Source: Dev.to

What I Built

I built the Nigerian Government and Public Utility Fees API, a production‑ready REST API that provides verified, structured, and traceable information about Nigerian government fees and public utility costs. It centralizes data from multiple Nigerian agencies into one accessible endpoint.

In Nigeria, citizens often struggle to find accurate information about the official cost of services such as:

• National Identification Number (NIN) services
• WAEC / NECO / JAMB examination fees
• Passport and identity‑related processes
• Electricity tariffs across different DisCos
• Other government‑regulated public fees

The problem

For most Nigerians, finding accurate government fee information is frustrating. Information is usually scattered across PDFs, outdated websites, or unofficial sources. This API centralizes that data into a clean, developer‑friendly backend that can be reliably consumed by applications, chatbots, dashboards, and AI agents.

The solution

A single API that provides:

• 90+ verified government fees across 6 categories (Identity, Immigration, Education, Electricity, Transport, Business)
• 6 official agencies: NIMC, NIS, NECO, JAMB, NERC, UNILAG
• Complete documentation with code examples in JavaScript, Python, and cURL
• Rich relationship data: every fee includes category, agency, and official source information
• Search & filtering: find exactly what you need instantly

The API is built with a strong focus on:

• official data sources
• traceability
• maintainability
• real‑world production usage

Live API URL: https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public

API Documentation

The API follows a simple and predictable REST structure.

Core Resources

• Categories (e.g., Identity & Management, Education, Electricity)
• Subcategories (e.g., NIN, NECO, JAMB, Passport, DisCos)
• Fees (individual payable items)
• Agencies (government bodies)
• Sources (official documents and websites)

Base URL

https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public

Authentication

API key via query parameter: ?api_key=YOUR_KEY

Test API Key: nga_b6cf98a60bda43ba8cf54af9dbd87260

Available Endpoints

1. POST /api_key/generate

Generates an API key for accessing secured endpoints.

curl -X POST 'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/api_key/generate' \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --data '{"user_email":"your-email@example.com"}'

2. GET /fees

Retrieve a paginated list of fees with optional filtering.

Parameters

• category (optional) – filter by category name/slug
• state (optional) – filter by state
• search (optional) – search in name and description
• page (optional, default: 1) – page number
• per_page (optional, default: 20, max: 100) – results per page

Example

curl 'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/fees?category=identity&per_page=5'

3. GET /fees/{id}

Get a single fee by ID with all relationships.

Example

curl 'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/fees/1?api_key=nga_b6cf98a60bda43ba8cf54af9dbd87260'

4. GET /fees/search

Search fees by name and description (minimum 2 characters).

Example

curl 'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/fees/search?q=passport&api_key=nga_b6cf98a60bda43ba8cf54af9dbd87260'

5. GET /categories

Get all categories with fee counts.

Example

curl 'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/categories?api_key=nga_b6cf98a60bda43ba8cf54af9dbd87260'

6. GET /metadata

Get API statistics and version information.

Example

curl 'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/metadata?api_key=nga_b6cf98a60bda43ba8cf54af9dbd87260'

Rate Limits

Currently no rate limits are enforced. Request tracking is implemented for future rate limiting.

Response Format

All responses are JSON. Errors follow a standardized format:

{
  "code": "ERROR_CODE_TYPE",
  "message": "Human-readable error message"
}

Full documentation is available in my GitHub repository with complete request/response examples, error handling, and integration guides.

Demo

Example 1 – Generate API Key

Request

curl -X POST 'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/api_key/generate' \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --data '{"user_email":"your-email@example.com"}'

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "api_key": "nga_********************************",
  "message": "API key generated successfully. Please save this key as it provides access to the API."
}

Example 2 – Get All Categories

Request

curl -X GET \
  'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/categories?api_key=nga_b6cf98a60bda43ba8cf54af9dbd87260' \
  -H 'accept: application/json'

Response

[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "display_name": "Identity & Management",
    "description": "Fees related to national identity systems such as NIN",
    "fee_count": 19
  },
  {
    "id": 2,
    "display_name": "Immigration",
    "description": "Passport and visa related fees",
    "fee_count": 10
  },
  {
    "id": 3,
    "display_name": "Education",
    "description": "NECO, JAMB and related examination fees",
    "fee_count": 45
  }
]

Example 3 – Search for NIN Fees

Request

curl -X GET \
  'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/fees/search?q=NIN&api_key=nga_b6cf98a60bda43ba8cf54af9dbd87260' \
  -H 'accept: application/json'

Response

[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "NIN Enrolment (First Time)",
    "amount": 0,
    "currency": "NGN",
    "service_type": "Standard",
    "description": "Initial NIN enrollment is free",
    "category_name": "Identity & Management",
    "agency_name": "National Identity Management Commission",
    "subcategory_name": "NIN",
    "source_name": "NIMC"
  }
]

Example 4 – Get Fee Details

Request

curl -X GET \
  'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/fees/20?api_key=nga_b6cf98a60bda43ba8cf54af9dbd87260' \
  -H 'accept: application/json'

Response

{
  "id": 20,
  "name": "Standard Passport 32 Pages (5-Year Validity)",
  "amount": 100000,
  "currency": "NGN",
  "service_type": "Standard",
  "description": "New or Renewal",
  "subcategory": {
    "id": 3,
    "name": "Passport",
    "category": {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "Immigration",
      "description": "Passport and visa related fees"
    }
  },
  "source": {
    "id": 2,
    "name": "Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS)",
    "agency": {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "Nigeria Immigration Service",
      "website": "https://immigration.gov.ng"
    }
  }
}

Code Integration Examples

JavaScript

const BASE_URL = 'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public';
const API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY';

// Example: fetch all categories
fetch(`${BASE_URL}/categories?api_key=${API_KEY}`)
  .then(res => res.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

Python

import requests

BASE_URL = 'https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public'
API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY'

# Example: search for passport fees
params = {'q': 'passport', 'api_key': API_KEY}
response = requests.get(f'{BASE_URL}/fees/search', params=params)
print(response.json())

cURL

curl "https://xmlb-8xh6-ww1h.n7e.xano.io/api:public/fees?category=education&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"