31/07/2025
CITIZENSHIP IN NIGERIA
The Nigerian Constitution provides for ways to becoming a citizen of Nigeria.
1. Citizenship by Birth: According to Section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution, you can attain Nigerian citizenship if:
- You were born in Nigeria before October 1, 1960, to a parent or grandparent who is or was part of a community indigenous to Nigeria, provided that this parent or grandparent was also born in Nigeria.
- You were born in Nigeria after October 1, 1960, to a Nigerian citizen parent or grandparent.
- You were born outside Nigeria to a Nigerian citizen parent.
This means that you are considered a Nigerian citizen if any of your parents were born in Nigeria, regardless of your own place of birth. Thus, if your grandparent is the citizen born in Nigeria and you were born outside Nigeria, you do not qualify as a Nigerian citizen by birth unless you were born in Nigeria.
2. Citizenship by Registration :By Section 26 of the Nigerian Constitution, if you are not a Nigerian citizen by birth, you may apply for citizenship registration based on the following criteria:
- You possess good character.
- You have expressed a clear intention to reside in Nigeria.
- You have taken the prescribed Oath of Allegiance to the Nigerian Constitution.
- You are a woman currently married or previously married to a Nigerian citizen.
- You are an adult born outside Nigeria with at least one grandparent who is a Nigerian citizen.
This means that both men and women can apply for Nigerian citizenship based on good character. Foreign wives to Nigerian men citizens can apply to be registered as citizens Adults born outside Nigeria with a Nigerian grandparent can also seek registration.
3. Citizenship by Naturalization: The provision of Section 27 of the Nigerian Constitution allows adults who have lived in Nigeria for 25 years to apply for a Certificate of Naturalization to become Nigerian citizens.
Here, if you are not a citizen by birth and do not qualify for registration, you can acquire Nigerian citizenship after residing in Nigeria for 15 years while maintaining good behavior.
From the provisions explained above, I see no gender discrimination. Instead, what I observed is gender protection that aligns with Nigerian culture. Traditionally, women are expected to change their name and nationality upon marriage, and the law reflects this cultural expectation without any ulterior motives.
If a husband of a Nigerian woman or a foreign man wishes to become a Nigerian citizen, he must either demonstrate good character to the President or have lived well in Nigeria for 15 years. This is to protect Nigerian women citizens and does not discriminate against them. Children born to a woman who is a Nigerian citizen are automatically granted citizenship by birth, regardless of their place of birth. Similarly, if a woman who is a citizen by birth has children born in Nigeria, those children automatically become Nigerian citizens.
Application to become a Nigerian citizen either by registration of naturalization could be made through the Nigerian foreign embassies, Nigerian Immigration or Nigerian ministry of Interior.
