•Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and Nigerian passports
The 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 carry the documents.
A statement yesterday by SA Media to the Minister of Interior, Alao Babatunde, however, clarified that the directive applied only to Nigerians whose requests for renunciation have been formally approved by President Bola Tinubu.
The minister maintained that the Ministry of Interior, saddled with the responsibility of citizenship integrity, derives the power from the provisions of subsections (1) and (2) of Section 29 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which states 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, and (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”.
He 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 the move is consistent with the passport and visa reforms that 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 unauthorized or ineligible access,” the minister noted.
