Citizenship is a legal and political position in which an individual has full, authorised affiliation in and allegiance to a state.
It is also a legal status bestowed to an individual by a state that allows that individual to enjoy the benefits and responsibilities that come with that position.
Under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,(as amended), the means of obtaining the country’s citizenship are;
- Citizenship by Birth
- Citizenship by Registration
- Citizenship by Naturalization
Citizenship by birth
Section 25 of the Constitution gives conditions to be satisfied before an individual can be granted citizenship by birth which includes;
- Every person born in Nigeria before the date of independence, either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents belongs or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria; Provided that a person shall not become a citizen of Nigeria by virtue of this section if neither of his parents nor any of his grandparents was born in Nigeria.
- Every person born in Nigeria after the date of independence either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents is a citizen of Nigeria; and
- Every person born outside Nigeria either of whose parents is a citizen of Nigeria.
It is important to point out that in this section, “the date of independence” means the 1st day of October 1960.
It is imperative to note that an individual does not need to be born in Nigeria to have the country’s citizenship. Once the person’s parents or grandparents are citizens of Nigeria, even if they were not born in Nigeria, such an individual seeking citizenship qualifies to apply for citizenship by birth in Nigeria.
Citizenship by registration
Section 26 of the Nigerian constitution elucidates the processes in which an individual can be allotted a citizenship certificate given they fulfil the following conditions
- The person has a good character.
- Has shown a clear intention of his desire to be domiciled in Nigeria.
- Has taken the oath of allegiance prescribed in the seventh schedule to this constitution.
The provisions of this section only apply to any woman who is or has been married to a citizen of Nigeria or every person of full age and capacity born outside Nigeria any of whose grandparent is a citizen of Nigeria.
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Citizenship by Naturalization
Section 27 of the Constitution makes provision for an individual to become a Nigerian citizen by Naturalization on the condition that some necessities are met which are in tandem with Section 28 of the Constitution.
Some of the requirements to be satisfied for the application of a certificate by Naturalization include;
- Must be a person of full age and capacity.
- Should be a person of good character.
- Has shown a clear intention of his desire to be domiciled in Nigeria
- Such a person, in the opinion of the Governor of the state where he is or he proposes to be resident, acceptable to the local community in which he is to live permanently, and has been assimilated into the way of life of Nigerians in that part of the federation.
- Should be a person who has made or is capable of making a useful contribution to the advancement; progress and well-being of Nigeria.
- Has taken the Oath of Allegiance prescribed in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution.
- Has immediately preceding the date of his application, either- (i) resided in Nigeria for a continuous period of fifteen years; or (ii) resided in Nigeria continuously for a period of twelve months, and during the period of twenty years immediately preceding that period of twelve months has resided in Nigeria for periods amounting in the aggregate to not less than fifteen years.
Forfeiting citizenship
Section 28 also outlines conditions which a person can forfeit his citizenship.
The section states that a person shall forfeit forthwith his Nigerian citizenship if, not being a citizen of Nigeria by birth, he acquires or retains the citizenship or nationality of a country, other than Nigeria, of which he is not a citizen by birth.
Consequently, any registration of a person as a Nigerian citizen or the grant of a certificate of naturalisation to a person who is a citizen of a country other than Nigeria at the time of such registration or grant shall, if he is not a citizen by birth of that other country, be conditional upon effective renunciation of the citizenship or nationality of that other country within a period of not more than five months from the date of such registration or grant.