At least 1,006 foreign citizens were granted Nigerian citizenship between 2017 and 2023 through naturalization and registration, as official records of the federal government have demonstrated.
The process was carried out through a combination of public investment ceremonies and administrative procedures under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior and the Presidency.
The first public citizenship conference ceremony took place on May 17, 2017 in the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, where the then President Muhammadu Buhari presented certificates to 335 new Nigerians. Among them was the model of Ethiopia Lara Fortes, wife of the former governor of the state of Edo, Adams Oshiomhole.
According to the then Minister of the Interior, the LT-GEN ABDULRAHMAN DAMBAZAU (RETD.), 245 of those receptors received citizenship by naturalization, after at least 15 years of legal residence, while 90 were registered as spouses or children of Nigerian citizens. He also noted that each candidate had undergone exhaustive security investigation and received the final approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
After a five-year break caused by the delays of Pandemia and Administrative COVID-19, the next public event was held on September 15, 2022. That day, Buhari gave the citizens 286 people, including 86 Lebanese, 14 British and four Americans. Of this group, 208 described through the residence rule of 15 years and 78 through conjugal or parental ties.
The known final investment occurred on May 27, 2023, two days before the end of the Buhari administration, when the then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presented certificates to 385 successful applicants during a ceremony at the headquarters of the Nigeria Correctional Service. The Interior Minister at that time, Rauf Aregbesola, described the 2022 and 2023 ceremonies as “the largest number under any Nigerian government”, with a combined total of 671 new citizens.
The Constitution of Nigeria in 1999 and the Citizenship Law allow the President to confer citizens for naturalization or registration by recommendation of the FEC. Applicants must prove legal residence (at least 15 years, including 10 uninterrupted years), good character, fiscal compliance and clean security records. The spouses and children of Nigerian citizens can also qualify through registration.
The process includes the documentation submitted to the Ministry of Interior, followed by rigorous evaluations of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other agencies before the Fec review and presidential approval. Once approved, successful candidates practice the oath of loyalty and receive a citizenship certificate, making them eligible for Nigerian passports and all attached rights.
Since President Bola Tinubu assumed the position in May 2023, there have been no public citizenship ceremonies. However, the current Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, confirmed that several approved applicants are experiencing the final DSS investigation.
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