Dabiri-Erewa Says Foreigners Now Pleading With Presidency for Nigerian Passports

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Director of Diaspora Mobilisation for the PBAT/APC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, has disclosed that her office has been inundated with appeals from foreign nationals seeking Nigerian passports, with some asking her to plead with President Bola Tinubu on their behalf.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Dabiri-Erewa said the volume of requests had become overwhelming, describing the development as evidence of growing foreign interest in Nigeria.

“On my table, you see a lot of people telling us to beg the President to be able to give them Nigerian passports. Ask the Minister of Interior. It’s too much,” she said.

She cited the example of a woman who recently told her team on camera that she had visited Nigeria and had no intention of returning to her previous country of residence.

Dabiri-Erewa said the appeals reflected a desire among some foreigners to invest in Nigeria, establish closer ties and make the country their home.

The briefing was primarily convened to outline the diaspora directorate’s five-point strategy for mobilising Nigerians abroad in support of Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

The plan includes activating APC diaspora chapters across five continents, launching a digital campaign tagged “Operation Tell Your Story,” encouraging structured diaspora fundraising, promoting voter registration awareness and countering misinformation about Nigeria and the administration.

Dabiri-Erewa put annual diaspora remittances at more than $20 billion, noting that Nigerians abroad also invest in healthcare, education, agriculture and information and communications technology.

She acknowledged that Nigerians in the diaspora cannot currently vote from abroad under existing laws and urged the National Assembly to amend the relevant legislation.

She also defended the administration’s removal of the fuel subsidy and unification of the foreign exchange rate, describing them as difficult but necessary reforms . “Nigeria needs you, and you also need Nigeria. It’s a symbiotic relationship,” she said.