The Africans in Diaspora Development Union (AFRIDU) has solicited the support of the federal ministry of interior for citizenship rights and visa on arrival for its members.

AFRIDU, an organisation established on Dec. 2, 2023, will hold its maiden event in October.

The diplomatic administrator of the union, Dr Onwubuya Abraham, made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the minister of interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Onwubuya explained that the major reason for the visit was to solicit the support of the ministry to assist in facilitating the approval for granting citizenship rights and visas on arrival for Nigerians in the diaspora.

He added that they were at the ministry to also appeal to the minister to facilitate the ease of entry of participants at the point of arrival by creating a dedicated portal at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) desk.

This, he said, was to enable it’s members to be granted a visa on arrival for participation in the forthcoming event.

According to him, the participants will be arriving from their various locations from Sept. 27 to Sept. 30 for the event.

“So, we need that support from your ministry. vis-a-vis the immigration under the supervision of your ministry.

“We want your ministry to give us a liaison office to work with you and another relevant committee of AFRIDU responsible for travel documents of foreign participants for a hitch-free outing.

“So, this is our request and we are very hopeful that because having looked at your antecedents, it shows that you have really done very well within this short period of assumption of duty.

“Therefore, we are very optimistic that our request will be looked into with all seriousness and be granted,” he stressed.

In his remarks, Mr Tunji-Ojo promised to look into their request because it’s a constitutional matter, and they are just making the request for the very first time.

He said, “I am just hearing the request for the very first time and being a man that believed in the rule of law, I don’t need to rush into it.

“I’m not a lawyer by training, I’m an engineer, but I have the services of lawyers to really look at your request.

“And if there are areas that the ministry will be able to collaborate, I will be extremely delighted to collaborate within the ambit of the law.

“And if there are areas that may need amendment we will be able to talk to you to also liaise with the National Assembly (NASS) in such areas.

“Because, we don’t make laws, we only execute the laws made by NASS. But overall, I believe that they have a lot of huge contributions they can make to the development of the country.”

The minister commended them for their efforts so far and wished them well as they prepared for the event.

Mr Tunji-Ojo also assured that the ministry would do everything in its capacity to ensure that the event went well, as its quest is a Nigeria that would work for everybody.

He added, “That is the ultimate target and we are not going back on that. So, rest assured of our best wishes.

“You see, building a nation is not an individual task; it is a joint task. Everybody must come together, either people in the country or outside.

“We must all join hands to build the nation of our dreams. I believe they have a lot to play and we are here to support them to ensure they play that role.”

(NAN)