Japa wave’ fueling high passport demand — Aregbesola

The large number of Nigerians leaving the country in quest of better opportunities, according to Interior Minister Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is to blame for the high demand for passports.

According to the Minister, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) issued 1,899,683 passport booklets in 2022, the most in more than seven years.

In the meantime, the Federal Government announced on Thursday that 159 Nigerians alone have surrendered their citizenship in 2022.

At the 64th State House Ministerial Briefing, which was held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and was organized by the Presidential Communications Team, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, revealed this.

150 Nigerians resigned their citizenship between 2006 and 2021, according to earlier reports.

However, 159 Nigerians gave up their citizenship in 2022.