The Federal Government officially conferred Nigerian citizenship on no fewer than 1,006 foreign nationals between 2017 and 2023.
Although investiture events, organised by the Ministry of Interior and overseen by the Presidency, represent the only occasions on which new citizens receive their certificates publicly, checks revealed that others were naturalised or registered through the usual administrative channels.
The first such investiture was held on May 17, 2017, at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja, where former President Muhammadu Buhari handed certificates to 335 new Nigerians.
Among the beneficiaries was Ethiopian-born model Lara Fortes, who had married the then Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, two years earlier.
The then minister of Interior, Lt-Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), said they comprised 245 by naturalisation after at least 15 years’ lawful residence, and 90 by registration—spouses and children of citizens.
Danbazau emphasised that each recipient had passed stringent security vetting and a review by the Federal Executive Council.
Following a five-year pause, during which the COVID-19 pandemic and an administrative backlog delayed in-person events, the second public ceremony was held on September 15, 2022, where President Buhari handed certificates to 286 foreigners.
They comprised 86 Lebanese nationals, 14 Britons and four Americans. Of these, 208 had satisfied the 15-year residence rule, while 78 qualified via spousal or parental ties to Nigerian citizens.
The last known investiture was held on May 27, 2023, just two days before Buhari concluded his eight-year tenure.
Acting on his behalf, former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo oversaw the presentation of citizenship to 385 successful applicants inside the Nigeria Correctional Service headquarters.
The then Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, noted that those two years alone (2022 and 2023) accounted for 671 new citizens, which he tagged “the largest number under any Nigerian government.”
Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Citizenship Act empower the President, on the advice of the Federal Executive Council, to grant citizenship by naturalisation or registration. A foreign national naturalises after at least 15 years of lawful residence (including 10 years continuously immediately before application), good character, and a clear security and tax record. They can also obtain citizenship if they are married to a Nigerian citizen for at least 15 years or are born abroad as a child of a Nigerian parent.
In practice, applicants submit forms and documentation to the Ministry of Interior, where a dedicated Citizenship Division verifies identity, residence history and character references.
The DSS then conducts security vetting, and other agencies verify tax compliance and the absence of criminal convictions. Approved files proceed to the Federal Executive Council, chaired by the President.
After the President’s assent, successful candidates often take the Oath of Allegiance at a public ceremony, receive a certificate of citizenship, and are entitled to Nigerian passports and all attendant rights.
Since President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration in May 2023, no public citizenship ceremonies have been held.
However, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, confirmed to our correspondent that several approved applicants were currently undergoing DSS background checks.
