The Nigerian government has eased dual citizenship rules for Nigerians and has abolished payment of overstay fees by nigerians with dual citizenship status.
The Nigerian nationality law allows dual nationality of people of Nigerian descent either through birth or parentage. They are also allowed to hold public office in Nigeria.
The Federal Government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), to with immediate effect, put an end to the payment of fines by Nigerians holding dual citizenship at the nation’s International Airports. Approximately there are 17 million nigerian diaspora population living in various countries and have sent $22 billion home.
The Honorable Minister of Interior, Lt Gen. (rtd) Abdulrahman Dambazau, CFR, PhD, who stated this today, in his Office in Abuja, said that the directives is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve to make movement easy for Nigerians with dual citizenship to come into their father-land unhindered.
Dambazau stressed that under the new policy, “citizens with dual nationality should only present both traveling documents of their countries of nationality to the immigration officials upon arrival and departure, regardless of whichever they are using to travel”.
According to him, “as a new government policy, on no account should any Nigerian traveler holding dual citizenship pay fine for so-called overstay”.
[BREAKING] FG ABOLISHES PAYMENT OF OVERSTAY FEES BY NIGERIANS WITH DUAL CITIZENSHIP.
FG has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), to with immediate effect, put an end to the payment of fines by Nigerians holding dual citizenship – https://t.co/NX9R3dvnaN pic.twitter.com/Kwz4uk9B0v
— APC United Kingdom (@APCUKingdom) September 20, 2018
He restated that it was a crime to ask or pay any money in that regard and stressed that under the new policy, “citizens with dual nationality should only present both travelling documents of their countries of nationality to the immigration officials upon arrival and departure, regardless of whichever they are using to travel”.
Gen. Dambazau emphasized that the NIS should ensure immediate compliance with the new government directives as government would sanction any Immigration official who is found collecting such fines henceforth.
Directing further that Nigerians with dual citizenship should report any Immigration official who imposes such charges on them to the appropriate authorities.
