The Federal Government has ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to start withdrawing and deactivating passports belonging to people who have officially given up their Nigerian citizenship.
This order was given by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media, Alao Babatunde. He made it clear that it only concerns individuals whose renunciation has been properly approved by the President.
“The Honourable Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to immediately withdraw and deactivate passports of Nigerians who have renounced their citizenship but still retain the documents.
“This directive applies strictly to individuals whose renunciation requests have been formally approved by the President.
“The Minister emphasized that the Ministry of Interior, entrusted with safeguarding the integrity of citizenship, derives its authority from the provisions of Section 29, subsections (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which state:
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.
“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.
The Minister further explained that once a person is no longer a Nigerian citizen, such a person has no right to hold any official Nigerian document again, including the Nigerian passport.
“The Minister added that this directive aligns with ongoing passport and visa reforms initiated by the Ministry in recent 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 unauthorized or ineligible access,” it concluded.
