TWO Nigerians abroad have shredded their Nigerian passport booklets and denounced their citizenship in protest over the conduct of the 2023 general elections.

Separate videos posted by @Gidi_Traffic and @Ogundamisi, which have gone viral show two men who said they had lost faith in the country after observing how the highly criticised Nigeria elections were carried out and for that reason, no longer wanted to be associated with the country.

Many have expressed their thoughts on the act of destroying the Nigerian document ranging from hilarious to solemn.

@deoluakinyemi, a Nigerian cleric wrote on twitter: “I also have a few expired passports I can tear. We need to see the names and dates so that people don’t make mistake.”

A Nigerian lawyer and social entrepreneur, Brian Jude, residing in Texas, United States, also reacted: “Una don come again. To collect a new passport at Atlanta office usually takes around 3-7 years. Think before you do.”

The videos also caught the attention of the Special Assistant to the President on New Media Tolu Ogunlesi, who explained that it was not the passport that made one a Nigerian citizen.

“Millions of Nigerian citizens do not have passports. The only way to stop being a Nigerian citizen is to follow the due process of citizenship renunciation, not by tearing or burning your passport, which is a crime by the way,” Ogunlesi said.

The spokesperson for the Nigerian Immigration Service Tony Akuneme, could not be reached for comments as of the time of reporting, but a senior staff of the office who does not want to be named because she is not authorised to speak on the issue, said that the passport document remains a property of the Nigerian Government, not the person to whom it is issued and may only be legally destroyed by the government.

Checks by The ICIR revealed that while renouncing Nigerian citizenship is a constitutional right afforded to citizens above the age of 18 years, the process is not as easy as tearing one’s passport, an act that is in fact, counterproductive.

However, the power to approve renunciation or restoration of Nigerian citizenship is the sole prerogative of the President, as enshrined in Chapter III, Article 29, sub. Section 1-2, of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

Nigerian Missions abroad can only facilitate such applications but do not hold the ultimate decision and prospective applicants must fulfil certain basic requirements.

These include a formal application letter duly signed by the applicant, a duly completed application form provided by the Mission, an affidavit for renunciation of citizenship in a Nigerian court and two copies of recent passport photographs.

Other requirements are applicant’s original letter of identification from the Local Government Area of origin, evidence of alternative citizenship, original birth certificate, and original Nigerian international passport and fee payment receipt as may be determined by the Mission.