Nigeria Grants Citizenship To 174 Foreigners -

The Federal Government on
Wednesday granted Nigerian
citizenship to 174 foreigners.
Briefing journalists after the weekly
meeting of the Executive Council of
the Federation, FEC, chaired by
President Goodluck Jonathan on
Wednesday, the Minister of Interior,
Abba Moro, said a breakdown of the
applications submitted included
those from 45 ‘Niger
Wives’ (foreigners married to
Nigerians), and 129 from persons
that were born by naturalised
Nigerians.
Mr. Moro said another 27
applications were rejected and were
not approved by FEC because “they
did not meet the basic requirements
of tax payment and ability to live
their lives in Nigeria without being
economic burdens and security
problems”.
“A series of factors were taken into
consideration, but much more
importantly the issue of security that
have become very serious
consideration especially when
foreigners from countries that are
prone to violence such as Lebanon
and Syria apply to become Nigerian
citizens,” the minister said.
The minister also criticised Nigerians
who were losing faith in the country.
“We are in this country losing some
level of faith in the viability of
Nigeria, on the brightness of the
future of Nigeria given the level of
potential that we have in this
country today by some Nigerians
and cynics, especially opposition
political parties or persons creating
an impression that Nigeria is
gravitating towards a failed state.
“Yet we have foreigners who have
very serious economic interest in
Nigeria who have lived in this
country, some since independence
who are eager to become Nigerian
citizens by taking into consideration
the economic viability and potential
of Nigeria and hoping that their lives
can better be lived in this country as
Nigerian citizens than citizens of
their countries,” he said.
Mr. Moro said the applicants were
from diverse countries as Venezuela,
Mexico, Thailand, South Korea,
Cameroun, Syria, Lebanon, Greece,
India, and Singapore.
According to a working document of
the FEC, the Interior Minister had
presented a memo to Council
seeking approval for the report of
the cabinet committee to review the
recommendations of the Advisory
Committee on Nigerian Citizenship
(ACNC) for the grant of Nigerian
citizenship to foreign applicants.
The council had inaugurated a
seven-member committee to review
the recommendations for the ACNC
on the grant of the Nigerian
citizenship. The committee then
concluded its assignment with a
report to council.
The EFCC also submitted its report
on the 79 applicants referred to it in
2012; and recommended only 51 out
of the 79 applicants for citizenship.
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