The consul general of Nigeria in New York, Lot Egopija, said the consulate would commence 2022 passport intervention in Minnesota by April to meet the consular needs of its nationals in the state.

According to for report by the Nigerian consulate general in New York released in March, passport requests that have yet to be responded to since 2018 and 2019 in Chicago, Minnesota and Indianapolis.

Mr Egopija disclosed this when he received officials of National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA), City College of New York (CCNY), and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC) at Nigeria House in New York.

The CCNY-MSKCC, in partnership with NANNNA, met with Mr Egopija to discuss possible areas of collaboration on health-based community outreach initiatives.

NANNNA is working to improve the health and quality of lives of Nigerians at home and abroad.

The consul general said it would be an opportunity for the CCNY-MSKCC to key into its intervention exercise in Minnesota to implement its proposed initiatives.

“We have scheduled to have consular services in some of the states that our people are more. For instance, in April we will be in Minnesota and normally in such gathering we have close to 400 Nigerians,” the envoy said. “It could also be a veritable tool for your organisation to be present there too for public enlightenment to create awareness and see how you can reach the unreached. We also intend to go to Rhode Island, Philadelphia and Ohio this year.”

According to him, the consulate covers 20 out of 50 states in the U.S, and that the consulate will be willing to partner the organisation once in every quarter to attend to the health of its nationals.

(NAN)