President Bola Tinubu has directed Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in Rwanda to resolve delays in passport renewal services that have left Nigerians unable to renew travel documents or secure passports for newborn children.
The President also pledged transparent governance during an interactive session with Nigerians living in Rwanda, a delegation that included 28 PhD holders, chief executives of multinational corporations, United Nations officials and a former Nigerian Bar Association president.
The session, held on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, was led by the Director General of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who told the President that the delegation comprised some of the most accomplished Nigerians on the African continent, working across education, hospitality, ICT, business and sports.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Friday titled ‘I Will Continue To Work Hard Until We Realise Our Dreams, President Tinubu Assures Nigerians In Rwanda.’
Tinubu commended the community for being good ambassadors and said his administration’s reform programme was already yielding results.
He said, “Our reforms are working, and the economy is bright and stable. We owe every Nigerian, both at home and abroad, the provision of the enabling environment to break and lead in all spheres.
“To the students and professionals here, I promised today that Nigeria will be governed transparently. I will lead with sincerity regardless of tribe or any other considerations.”
He urged the delegation to reject ethnic and tribal bias, stressing that the Nigerian flag united all citizens regardless of origin.
“The Green-White-Green flag means so much to all of us. None of us has direct control over where we are born. God has that prerogative. Your tribe does not matter, as you have no control over where you are born or who your parents are,” he said.
The President also referenced Rwanda’s post-genocide recovery, saying he was encouraged that “they had neutralised the past and embraced the future,” and urged Nigerians to do the same.
Tinubu directed Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires in Rwanda, Ibrahim Zanna, to work with NIDCOM and the Presidency to address concerns around harnessing the economic and intellectual potential of the diaspora community.
A major concern raised at the session was the absence of a passport office at the Nigerian High Commission in Kigali.
The Chairman of the Association of Nigerians in Rwanda, Prof Umar Wali, who arrived in Rwanda in 2005 as a Technical Aid Corps volunteer and is now Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Lay Adventists in Rwanda, told the President that many members of the community faced difficulties renewing passports and obtaining passports for newborn babies.
“There is no Passport Office at the Nigerian High Commission in Kigali, and many members of our community face difficulties renewing passports and obtaining passports for newborn babies,” he said.
Among the attendees was Michael Masai Ujiri, Nigerian-Canadian former professional basketball player and President of NBA club Dallas Mavericks.
Ujiri told the President he was committed to developing Nigeria’s sports infrastructure into a modern, investment-ready sector, citing his experience in Rwanda as a model.
He said he had developed the Zaria Court, an integrated sports and hospitality complex in Rwanda, and expressed willingness to replicate similar investments in Nigeria.
The Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund, Dr Olugbemi Adekakan, said he was interested in replicating his work in Nigeria and sought presidential support.
Fatima Attahiru, Programme Manager of the Timbuktoo Africa Initiative at the UNDP in Kigali, said the agency was willing to explore collaboration with the Nigerian government on skills development and human capital growth. A student, Kelechi Anyanwu, also addressed the President.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, Khalil Sulaiman Halilu, said NASENI had developed diaspora-focused programmes to enable Nigerians abroad contribute to national development.
Dabiri-Erewa, in her remarks, praised the conduct of Nigerians in Rwanda, saying they had distinguished themselves in ways that enhanced Nigeria’s image abroad.