Nigeria to issue UN passport to persons at risk of statelessness

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Hon. Sani Zorro, has disclosed the Federal Government plans to issue United Nations passport to people at risk of being stateless.

Zorro stated this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, in Abuja, as part of events marking the second anniversary of Nigeria ratifying the Abidjan Declaration on statelessness.

He said the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs (NCFRMI) and the National Immigration Department are engaged in a process called refugee status determination.

He explained that this process would help to ascertain stateless persons that are eligible for the UN passport, a document they can hold on to before their respective cases are resolved.

Zorro said it is important for Nigeria to speedily domesticate and implement the Abidjan Declaration on statelessness as it contains the strategies and recommendations of dealing with the matter.

He pointed out that there is a looming stateless situation in Nigeria which could arise from the high level of displacement in the Northeast and those who fled to Nigeria during crises, amongst others.

“As a result of the Northeast crises, quite a number of refugees who find themselves in neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon may not be able to return to Nigeria again,” the lawmaker told NAN.

“The longer they live and reproduce in those countries, they would face the risk of statelessness because in future when the host countries ask of their nationality, they would not be able to show evidence.

“The other situation could be as a result of the over 800 Turkish nationals living and running different businesses in Nigeria and whose nationalities were recently nullified by their country’s president.”