FG Orders Withdrawal Of Passports From Nigerians Who Renounced Citizenship

The Federal Government has ordered that Nigerian passports be taken back from citizens who have renounced their citizenship.

The directive was issued by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), according to a statement released by his media aide, Alao Babatunde.

Tunji-Ojo explained that the order affects only individuals whose applications to renounce Nigerian citizenship have already received presidential approval.

He said once that process is completed, such individuals no longer have the legal right to keep a Nigerian passport.

He based the directive on the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, which states “(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,” the statement reads.

According to the minister, anyone who is no longer a Nigerian citizen cannot continue to hold the country’s sovereign travel documents.

Tunji-Ojo added that the step is part of wider efforts to protect the credibility of Nigeria’s citizenship system and fits into the government’s ongoing passport and visa reform programme.

“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,” he added.

KanyiDaily recently that the federal government previously revealed that about 159 Nigerians renounced their citizenships in 2022.