Hundreds of foreigners obtain Nigerian citizenship, as Nigerians themselves desert country for greener pastures
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Many Nigerians have relocated abroad in recent years but some 1,006 foreigners have found pasture, stayed put, and obtained Nigerian citizenship in the eight years to 2003, according to official figures newly provided by the Interior Ministry.
Investiture events organised by the ministry and overseen by the Presidency were the only occasions where new citizens received their certificates publicly between 2017 and 2003 but some naturalised or registered through the usual administrative channels out of public glare.
The first such investiture was held on 17 May 2017 at Aso Rock Banquet Hall, Abuja with former President Muhammadu Buhari handing certificates to 335 new Nigerians, according to reporting by The PUNCH.
The beneficiaries included the wife of Adams Oshiomhole, Lara Fortes, who married the then-Edo Governor in 2015. Lara’s father is from Cape Verde and the mother was born in Nigeria.
Former Interior Minister Abdulrahman Dambazau explained at the 2017 ceremony that the beneficiaries in 2017 comprised 245 by naturalisation after at least 15 years’ lawful residency and 90 by registration – spouses and children of citizens.
He said each recipient passed stringent security vetting and a review by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Following a five-year pause, during which the COVID-19 pandemic and an administrative backlog delayed in-person events, the second public ceremony was held on 15 September 2022, where Buhari handed citizenship certificates to 286 foreigners.
Among them were 86 Lebanese, 14 Britons, and four Americans. Of the lot, 208 satisfied the 15-year residency rule, 78 qualified via spousal or parental ties to Nigerian citizens.
The last known investiture was held on 27 May 2023, two days before Buhari served out his second and final term.
Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, on behalf of Buhari, oversaw the presentation of citizenship certificates to 385 applicants at the Nigeria Correctional Service headquarters.
The then Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, noted that those two years alone (2022 and 2023) accounted for 671 new citizens, and said it was “the largest number under any Nigerian government.”
Nigeria’s Constitution and the Citizenship Act empower the President, on the advice of the FEC, to grant citizenship by naturalisation or registration.
A foreign national naturalises after at least 15 years of lawful residency (including 10 years continuously immediately before application), good character, and a clear security and tax record.
They can also obtain citizenship if they are married to a Nigerian citizen for at least 15 years or are born abroad as a child of a Nigerian parent.
In practice, applicants submit forms and documentation to the Ministry of Interior, where a Citizenship Division verifies identity, residency history, and character references.
The DSS then conducts security vetting, and other agencies verify tax compliance and criminal convictions, if any. Approved files proceed to the FEC chaired by the President.
After the President’s assent, successful candidates often take the Oath of Allegiance at a public ceremony, receive a certificate of citizenship, and are entitled to Nigerian passports and all attendant rights.
Since Bola Tinubu assumed office as President in May 2023, no public citizenship ceremony has been held.
However, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has confirmed that several approved applicants are currently undergoing DSS background checks before onward transmission of the files to the FEC.
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