Nigeria formally granted citizenship to a total of 174 foreigners. Abba Moro, Nigeria minister of interior told journalists after the weekly meeting of Federal Executive Council that those who applied and were granted citizenship included 45 foreigners married to Nigerians, and 129 others by naturalization.

The successful applicants, Moro said were from countries such as Venezuela, Mexico, Thailand, South Korea, Cameroun, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, India, Singapore and others. The minister also said 27 applications for Nigeria citizenship were rejected by The Federal Executive Council because the applicants did not meet the basic requirements of tax payment and ability to live their lives in Nigeria without being an economic burdens and, or` security problems.

“A series of factors were taken into consideration, but much more importantly, the issues of security that has become very serious consideration especially when foreigners from countries that are prone to violence such as Lebanon and Syria apply to become “Nigerian citizens” Moro said of the considerations that influenced approval of applications for Nigeria citizenship.

He added that the Advisory Committee on Nigerian Citizenship (ACNC) for the grant of Nigerian citizenship to foreign applicants and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission were also involve.

A NIGERIAN WITH VALID VISA ARRESTED IN NEW YORK.

A Nigerian man, Kolawole Fakokunde, is facing up to 5 years imprisonment after he was arrested by immigration officers at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for trying to enter the United States illegally.

Although, Fakokunde had a valid visitor’s visa on him, he was arrested after telling a lie that failed to pan out and he was easily caught. He had told U.S. authorities he was headed to Philadelphia to attend the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference. Unfortunately for him, the conference, one of the world’s largest law enforcement gatherings, had been over for about two weeks before.

Media reports said the Nigerian arrived in the U.S. aboard an Arik Airlines flight, claiming to be a prison guard. But, he later told a United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer that someone else “helped him complete his visa application,” in which he falsely claimed to be a prison guard travelling to the U.S. to attend IACP.

Based on the information he provided at the time to the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs in Lagos, Fakokunde was issued a valid visitor’s visa. He admitted that he was not employed as a prison guard, that he did not intend to travel to Philadelphia to attend the IACP Conference, and that his true purpose for visiting the United States was vacation.

Fakokunde is standing trial in a United States federal court for “knowingly and willfully” trying to use a United State visa obtained through false information.

Olakunle O. Bolarinwa,

Is a Nightline Family Member Of The Voice Of America {VOA}.

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