By John Ikani
The Federal Government of Nigeria has disclosed that there is a significant increase in the number of Nigerians renouncing their citizenship.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore, made the disclosure on Thursday, alongside his Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, while featuring at the 64th edition of the State House briefings coordinated by the Presidential Media Team, in Abuja.
According to Belgore, 309 applications for renunciation of citizenship were received between 2006 and 2022.
He stated that 150 of the applications were made between 2006 and 2021, while a further 159 were made in 2022 alone.
The reasons for the increase in renunciation of citizenship remain unclear, but it is believed that factors such as economic instability, political unrest, and lack of opportunities may be contributing to the trend.
On the flip side, the Permanent Secretary announced that the Advisory Committee on Nigerian Citizenship will be meeting on February 7th to consider 350 foreign applicants seeking Nigerian citizenship.
These applications, if approved, will be sent to the President-in-Council for final approval.
