Muhammadu Buhari, the president of Nigeria, has issued citizenship to 385 foreign nationals.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo attended the ceremony on behalf of President Buhari, who stated that the foreign nationals have met all requirements to become citizens of Nigeria. The event was held in the Gen. Abdulraman Danbazzau Conference Hall, Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Headquarters, Abuja.
The head of state of Nigeria remarked that his administration had granted citizenship to more foreigners than any other administration up to that point, and he explained that this was done to promote international investment and strengthen the country’s economy.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, called for a reform of the Nigerian Constitution to make it easier for more foreigners to seek for citizenship while also revealing that those granted citizenship had fulfilled the strict requirements for citizenship.
Aregbesola said foreigners shouldn’t have to wait for 15 years before they can apply for Nigeria citizenship, which is in contrast to what is obtainable in other countries. Speaking further, Aregbesola revealed that a total of 671 foreigners have been conferred with Nigeria citizenship within the past five years.
Aregbesola said;
”That we have a high number of foreigners willing to become Nigerians is an indication that the on-going efforts of the Federal Government to make Nigeria a destination for investment and peaceful coexistence is beginning to yield good fruits.
“I must state also that it is under our administration that the largest number of foreigners have been naturalised. “Between 2011 and 2013,a total of 266 foreigners became Nigerians. In 2017, 335 people took up Nigerian citizenship. But last year, 286 foreigners and today at this ceremony, 385, making a total of 671 have acquired Nigerian citizenship.
“I am still not pleased with this figure. In Europe and America, thousands of foreigners are inducted into citizenship every year. They do this to attract youths and people in their prime who would like to contribute to the development of their countries.
“The bane of the smooth pathway to Nigerian citizenship however is the constitutional requirement of continuous residency in Nigeria for 15 years.
” This is a huge disincentive, considering that in the United States and most European countries, it is five years. Some of these countries have made a habit of snatching young and resourceful brains – who after four years of schooling and working for just one year – through easy pathways, to obtain quality migration to their countries.
” I will therefore urge the relevant institutions of state to reconsider this in the next effort at amendment to the constitution. We ought to have easier pathways to citizenship for foreigners than currently obtains.”