Tag: Nigeria

335 Foreign Nationals Granted Nigerian Citizenship

A total of 335 foreign nationals have been granted citizenship by the Federal Government of Nigeria after statutory clearance and due diligence by the relevant security agencies.

The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau,‎ who presented the certificates of citizenship to the recipients, charged them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria.

Mr. Dambazau, in his remarks, said that 335 applicants were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in January, out of the over 500 foreigners that applied.

He explained that 245 of the foreigners approved were granted citizenship by‎ naturalisation while 90 were by registration. The second group had mainly foreigners married to Nigerians.

“Let me say that application for the Citizenship of Nigeria which can be by Naturalisation or Registration is provided for in Chapter 3, Sections 26 and 27 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,’’ the minister explained.

The minister said the approval was part of the government’s effort on the “Ease of doing business in Nigeria” and boosting Nigeria’s image in line with international best practice.

He tasked the new citizens to be of good conduct, respect the rights and customs of their communities and contribute to the development of Nigeria.

Mr. Damabazau said the last time such ceremony was conducted was in December, 2013 and pledged to ensure its sustenance on an annual basis for proper scrutiny.

Recipients include nationals from Rwanda, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, China and some African countries, most of whom are business moguls who have been operating in Nigeria for years.

The Ministry of Interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) are charged with the responsibility of processing applications for Naturalisation from foreign nationals who have stayed/lived in Nigeria for a minimum of 15 years and those by Registration who are mainly married to Nigerians.

PRESIDENT BUHARI’S HEALTH: NO CAUSE FOR APPREHENSION – PRESIDENCY

The Presidency hereby assures the good people of Nigeria that, despite the insinuations of a number of media organisations, there is no need for apprehension over the health of our President, Muhammadu Buhari.

President Buhari’s absence at the Federal Executive Council meeting of Wednesday, April 26, was a last minute decision; otherwise, the cabinet and the public might have been alerted in advance. As eager as he is to be up and about, the President’s doctors have advised on his taking things slowly, as he fully recovers from the long period of treatment in the United Kingdom some weeks ago.

President Buhari himself, on his return to the country, made Nigerians aware of the state of his health while he was in London. Full recovery is sometimes a slow process, requiring periods of rest and relaxation, as the Minister for Information, Lai Mohammed, intimated in his press briefing after the FEC meeting on Wednesday.

Despite his lack of visibility, Nigerians should rest assured that President Buhari has not abdicated his role as Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria. He receives daily briefings on the activities of government, and confers regularly with his Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. His private residence, in which he has been spending the majority of his time recently, also has a fully equipped office.

God is the giver of life and health. We are grateful that He has seen our President through the worst period of his convalescence in London. We are thankful that the President has passed a number of benchmarks already. We pray that God continues to see him through this period of recuperation.

GARBA SHEHU
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
April 27, 2017

UK Commences Same Day, 5-day Visa Services in Nigeria

The British High Commission in Nigeria has started special visa services that ensures visa applicants can get their visa on the same day or within five days of application. The High Commission has also reduced the maximum turnaround time for all classes of visa application to 15 days.
Visa Services
British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, declared that with the improved visa services, the United Kingdom remains steadfast in her resolve to sustain the age-long relationships with Nigeria as well as provide support for Nigerians, especially by keeping her doors open to law abiding citizens.
According to the High Commissioner,
“In 2016, around 140,000 Nigerians applied for visas to the UK. Of those that applied for student visas, 90% were successful. For those that applied for other visas, around 70% were successful. There are as many as 250,000 Nigerian nationals or dual Nigerian-British nationals living in the UK at the moment. Some claim the total Nigerian Diaspora in the UK is well over a million. We want Nigerians to come to the UK. They come to do business, to study, to see family and to invest in our economy.
 
We have introduced a same day visa service – at a cost – for visas in Nigeria. We have also introduced a service that can mean you get a visa within 5 days, at a lower cost than the same day process. Our turnaround time for all other visas is 15 days. The key thing, however, is that all visitors to the UK – whether they are from Nigeria or anywhere else – must respect the law and the length of time their visa says they can stay in the UK.”
In respect to Nigeria’s role in the world, Paul Arkwright predicted,
“By 2050, Nigeria will be the third biggest country in the world as it will overtake the USA to join China and India as the three biggest countries. Secondly, Lagos – Africa’s fifth largest economy in 2016 – will become more important in the coming years as the African example of how to break down barriers to doing business and bring in foreign investment.”