The Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja conferred Nigerian citizenship to 286 foreigners including 86 Lebanese, 14 Britons, and four Americans.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the affected foreign nationals were conferred with the status of Nigerian citizenship by President Muhammadu Buhari following an approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
NAN reports that the deserving persons who signed to be Nigerians, 208 were conferred citizenship status by naturalization.
The remaining 78 were conferred with the same status by registration after they officially recited the oath of allegiance and the Nigerian national pledge.
Speaking at the event, Buhari directed the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to immediately issue the new Nigerians with certificates as appropriate.
This, he said, was to enable them to begin to enjoy the status conferred on them wherever they reside in the country.
Buhari urged them to endeavour to make positive contributions to the different communities they reside, and abide by the ideals of the nation.
He said that the ceremony was a constitutional requirement aimed at removing the tag of “statelessness” on every bonafide citizen of the country.
Buhari admonished them to be good ambassadors of the country while reciprocating the love and acceptance from the Nigerian people.
According to the Nigerian leader, as they have become bonafide citizens of Nigeria, the nation’s history will become their own history.
He said that only deserving persons were accorded with the right to citizenship after a painstaking assessment from the Nigerian government.
Earlier, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, revealed that the foreigners had gone through a series of thorough checks by the nation’s security agencies before being considered qualified and deserving Nigerian citizenship.
He said the Federal government was determined to encourage high net-worth individuals as well as give recognition to other qualified foreigners in the country.
The minister said that this was in the bid to make Nigeria a destination of choice for investment opportunities.
He said: ”Today’s ceremony is a reminder of our common human ancestry.
”These people came from near and distant lands, from different races, religion, ethnicity and other social affiliations and identities.
”However, irrespective of the circumstances of our birth, what we share in common is our humanity and we can always have the basis for deeper and more meaningful interaction and togetherness, if we work at it.
”What we are celebrating today therefore is the oneness of the human race.
“One of the objectives of our administration, the mandate given to us by Mr President, is to lay a solid socio-economic and political foundation that will thrust Nigeria into one of the 20 great economies of the world”.
The conferment ceremony was the first to take place since 2018.
NAN
