By Olukayode Idowu
The federal government has launched the handbook of citizenship administration in the country which will aid in underlying the basic requirements needed of all Nigerians.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo revealed that the project was instituted in pursuant of the Ministry of Interior’s core mandate of citizenship integrity management, adding that: “It is in pursuit of this critical goal that the Ministry embarked on codifying the processes involved in Citizenship Administration in Nigeria.”
He said: ‘In doing this, we made efforts to consult stakeholders and to encapsulate relevant ideas as well as global best practices in the Handbook, so as to ensure that both the providers and the users of the services are properly guided for better service delivery.’
He noted that: “The Ministry had over the years grappled with institutionalising the processes of Citizenship Administration but had to surmount different challenges. These challenges range from processes beyond the Ministry such as security reports and response from State Governments in respect of applicants, to legal/jurisdictional disputes from local government authorities. There were also other ad-HCI administrative/operational hiccups in the form of insufficient funding and capacity development gaps.’
He said the handbook will aid in the implementation of the Ministry’s policies and procedures, especially as it relates to theCitizenship Division of the Citizenship and Business Department of the Ministry.
He revealed that the handbook covers, granting of Citizenship and Residence Permit; Establishment and maintenance of Federal MarriageRegistries in Nigeria;Licensing and renewal of Public Places of Worship for celebration of marriages; and issuance of Secured Federal Marriage Certificates in Federal Marriage Registries.