By Philomina Brando
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to immediately withdraw and deactivate passports held by individuals who have formally renounced their Nigerian citizenship.
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media, Alao Babatunde, noting that it applies to Nigerians whose renunciation requests have been duly approved by the President.
Tunji-Ojo said the ministry, which is responsible for safeguarding the integrity of citizenship, derived its authority for the directive from Section 29(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Quoting the constitutional provision, the statement read, “(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.
“(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.”
According to the minister, once an individual ceases to be a citizen, such a person is no longer entitled to hold any sovereign document of Nigeria, including a passport.
He described the move as part of ongoing passport and visa reforms by the ministry, aimed at strengthening national security and administrative efficiency.
The statement added that the directive seeks to close an existing gap that allowed former citizens to continue travelling with Nigerian passports even after their renunciation had been officially recognised.
“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 unauthorised or ineligible access,” Tunji-Ojo said.