FG reviews citizenship administration handbook, denies fee hike

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FG reviews citizenship administration handbook, denies fee hike

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior, has commenced the review of the draft handbook on citizenship administration in Nigeria.

This was as the ministry denied increasing the cost of obtaining a Citizenship Expatriate Resident Alien Card.

The government was reacting to speculations on the social media that the card cost had increased from $2,000 to $3,000.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Oluwatoyin Akinlade, in a statement on Thursday, urged Nigerians to disregard the misinformation.

“The attention of the Ministry of Interior has been drawn to a report on the social media regarding a proposed increase in the cost of Citizenship Expatriate Resident Alien Card, from the current cost of $2000 to $3000 by the Federal Government.

“The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, wishes to clarify that the information is not from the ministry and should be disregarded. Relevant organisations and the general public are advised to take note,” the interior ministry said.

Meanwhile, Akinlade gave the assurance that the ongoing review of the of the draft handbook on citizenship administration in Nigeria would be implemented to serve as a robust guideline that will drive the citizenship administration.

A statement by the ministry’s Director of Press, Afonja Ajibola, on Thursday said Akinlade disclosed this at an event in Abuja, where she was represented by the Director of Special Duties in the office of the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Comfort Kabirwa.

“The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with its critical stakeholders, commenced the review of the draft handbook on citizenship administration in Nigeria.

“Attention was drawn to stakeholders’ engagement in the review of expatriate quota administration that was also held in 2022 and the handbook was launched on May 9, 2023,” the statement said.

The perm sec said the handbook had provided a roadmap for expatriate quota administration in Nigeria.

Earlier, the Director of Citizenship and Business, Mr John Adeniran, said that the review of the handbook on citizenship administration was based on complaints received from stakeholders about the need to review the handbook to obtain the necessary information to upgrade and meet global best practices.