The Federal Government has ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to immediately withdraw or deactivate the passports of individuals who have renounced Nigerian citizenship.
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, gave the directive on behalf of the Federal Government.
He said there are people who have renounced their citizenship but still carry the documents.
“This directive applies to Nigerians whose requests for renunciation have formally been approved by the President,” the minister said.
Tunji-Ojo maintained in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Alao Babatunde, that the Ministry of Interior, saddled with the responsibility of citizenship integrity, derived the power from the provisions of subsections (1) (2) of Section 29 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He quoted the constitution as follows: that “(1) Any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation.
(2) The President shall cause the declaration made under subsection (1) of this section to be registered and upon such registration, the person who made the declaration shall cease to be a citizen of Nigeria”.
Tunji-Ojo added that once a person ceases to be a citizen of Nigeria, he can no longer carry any sovereign document of Nigeria, including the nation’s passport.
The minister noted that this move is consistent with the passport and visa reforms which the ministry has undertaken within the past few years.
“We will continue to strengthen systems that secure Nigeria’s borders, prevent identity fraud, preserve the sanctity of Nigerian citizenship, and facilitate legitimate travel while preventing unauthorised or ineligible access,” the Minister said.