The Federal Executive Council (FEC) Wednesday approved the grant of Nigerian citizenship to 385 foreign nationals.
Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, said this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly FEC meeting in Abuja.
He said while 317 persons would get citizenship by naturalisation, 68 would be conferred with citizenship by registration.
“The Council today approved a grant of Nigeria citizenship by naturalization to 317 applicants and Nigerian citizenship by registration by registration to 68 applicants who have met all the constitutional and administrative requirements for the grant of the Nigerian citizenship,” he said.
The minister said the council also approved a Public-Private Partnership contract for the provision of subscription-based fire safety for residential, institutional, and commercial buildings.
“This will be a public-private partnership arrangement with Hoist Life Safety System Limited. At completion, Nigerians, who so desire, would subscribe to an automatic fire alarm system that you can have in their house.
“It will raise the alarm at each fire services station nationwide to point our firemen and officers to any fire emergency.
“It is going to be a cloud-based system with modern technology, fully digitised to facilitate prompt response to any distress or emergency on fire. This has no cost to the government but the subscription will be determined at the end of the entire process,” he said.
The minister also spoke on the directive mandating the Acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Isah Idris Jere, to proceed on retirement with effect from April 24, 2023.
“It is Greek to me,” the minister said while fielding questions on the matter.
The Governing Board of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services had in a memo dated April 17, 2023 asked the acting NIS boss to vacate office on or before April 24, 2023.
The memo, with reference number CDCFIB/APPT.CG&DCG/61/VOL.IV/74 was signed by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board Secretary, Obasi Edmond, on the orders of the Board chairman and Interior Minister.
The memo reads in part: “I write to draw your attention to the end of one-year extension in office granted to you by Mr. President via letter no. SH/COS/42/3/3/A128 date April 22, 2022, and which would be expiring on April 24, 2023.
“Consequently, you are directed to hand over to the most senior Deputy Comptroller-General on or before Monday, April 24, 2023, pending Mr. President’s appointment of a substantive Comptroller-General of the Service.
“The board is grateful to you for your immense contributions to the Nigeria Immigration Service and the country and wishes you success in your future endeavors.”
