The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shuaib Belgore has revealed that about 159 Nigerians renounced their citizenships in 2022.
Belgore disclosed this on Thursday at the 64th session of the State House Ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, 150 Nigerians renounced their citizenship between 2006 to 2021.
But in 2022, Belgore said 159 Nigerians renounced their citizenship just as “japa syndrome” has increased pressure on passport booklets in the country.
In his remark, the Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola said the massive exodus of Nigerians out of the county in search of greener pastures is fueling high demands for passports.
He stated that in 2022, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) issued the highest number of passport booklets totalling 1,899,683 in over seven years.
Aregbesola also revealed that at least 70 foreign nationals have been deported for various infractions in the last two years.
“In the last two years, the Minister issued a total of 70 deportation orders for the deportation of different nationals from Nigeria due to one infraction or the other,” Aregbesola said.
According to him, “the majority of those deported were from the Democratic Republic of Korea, Egypt, Sri Lanka and a host of others.”
KanyiDaily recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari recently conferred Nigerian citizenship rights on 286 foreigners including Lebanese, British, Americans, Egyptians, Syrians, Italians and Palestinians.
