‘Why can’t I get a Nigerian passport?’ — American man says in viral video after marrying Nigerian woman
An American man married to a Nigerian woman has raised concerns over what he describes as a discriminatory clause in Nigeria’s constitution regarding citizenship by marriage.
In the viral video, the man began showing his American passport, as well as those of his wife and children. He also displayed their Nigerian passports, missing his own, which expressed his frustration.
“I beg, Niger people, make Oona tell me, how do I become Nigerian?” he asked at the beginning of the video. “I was doing some online research, and I learnt that according to the Nigerian constitution, a Nigerian man, when he marries a foreigner, can allow her to apply for citizenship immediately. But a Nigerian woman, when she marries a foreigner, that man has to live in Nigeria for 15 years before he’s eligible to apply for citizenship.”
His Nigerian wife, who also appeared in the video, echoed his sentiments, calling for clarity on the matter.
She said, “Yeah, it’s kind of like really funny because we were reading about the whole thing. It says that if I, as a Nigerian woman, get married to a foreigner, the man cannot become a Nigerian unless he lives in Nigeria for 15 years. But if a Nigerian man marries a foreigner, the woman can apply to become a Nigerian immediately. Make it make sense.”
The couple revealed they were planning to move to Nigeria for five to six years and began researching the requirements for the man to obtain legal residency and citizenship. However, they were surprised by what they found.
“That’s alright in my country,you can apply immediately,” the man said, comparing the situation to U.S. citizenship laws. “Why shouldn’t I be able to travel freely in and out without stress? I don’t think that is right. I don’t think that should be so.”
His wife added that they were hoping the information was inaccurate and called on authorities to clarify the law.
“So, I’m telling my husband that maybe we just read the wrong information because we need explanation. That cannot be right,” she said. “I don’t know who has Tinubu’s DMs, his email, his social media. We should see about this. It’s not right.”
Reacting to the viral video on X, Hon. Akin Alabi, Chairman of the House Committee on Works and representative for Egbeda/Ona Ara Federal Constituency, expressed his opinion on Section 26 of the 1999 Constitution, which governs conditions for Nigerian citizenship.
He stated that the current provision, which grants Nigerian citizenship to any woman married to a Nigerian man, should be amended to be more inclusive.
“I believe that if we do not want to do citizenship by marriage, that’s fine, but if we are doing it, it shouldn’t be just one way. Men and women should be able to pass citizenship to their spouses. This smacks of patriarchy and discrimination,” Alabi said, adding that his constitutional amendment bill on the matter has just passed its second reading.
“I attempted this in the 9th assembly but came short. I hope to see it to the end this time.
“I must, however, mention that constitutional amendments are hard to achieve. Not impossible, but the extra step of 24 Houses of Assembly needing to agree makes it extremely difficult. We will continue to try.”