A person can reside in Nigeria for a long time and not be a citizen of Nigeria. A person may not be born in Nigeria but still be confer the citizen status of Nigeria. Citizenship is different from Residence. The questions to be discuss centered on the concept of citizenship in Nigeria.

Citizenship refer to a status conferred on person coupled with rights, privileges and duties.

Thus a citizen is a member of a society who has certain duties,rights and privileges recognized by Law.

The statute governing citizenship,it's types,procedure for acquisition,renunciation,dual citizenship, deprivation of citizenship in Nigeria is the 1999 constitution.

The provision on citizenship is from Section 25 to Section 32 of the 1999 Constitution.

In Nigeria, a person can acquire citizenship in three different modes which include:

CITIZENSHIP BY BIRTH,BY REGISTRATION AND BY NATURALIZATION.
Citizenship by birth is the most common mode of acquiring citizenship. This generally means that a person is a citizen of the country he is born into. This may not totally represent the position in Nigeria. In Nigeria, a person can acquire citizenship by birth, pursuant to Section 25 f the 1999 Constitution, in different ways and they include:

  1. A person who is born in Nigeria after 1st October 1960 who either of his parents or any of his grandparents are citizens of Nigeria is a citizen of Nigeria.This means that a person born in Nigeria can still be citizen of Nigeria Where neither of his parents are Nigeria provided any of his grandparents are citizen of Nigeria.

But Where neither of his parents or any of his grandparents are citizen of Nigeria, the fact he was born in Nigeria would not make him a citizen of Nigeria by birth. This is in contract with a common practice in U.S.A where a person who neither of his parents or grandparents are U.S. citizen but born in U.S can still be an United State citizen.

Also a person born in Nigeria before 1 October, 1960 who either his parents or grandparents belongs to or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria is a citizen of Nigeria by birth. If a person, although born in Nigeria but neither of his parents or grandparents belong to or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria,he cannot become a citizen of Nigeria BY BIRTH.He can, however,acquire citizenship by other modes.

Another circumstances a person can acquire citizenship by birth is Where a person is born outside Nigeria but either of whose parents is a citizen of Nigeria. This is contained in Section 25(1)(c). This means the fact that a person was born outside Nigeria does not disqualified such person from been a citizen by birth provided either of his parents is a citizen of Nigeria.

But where neither such person 's parents are citizen but his grandparents are, he cannot be a citizen of Nigeria by birth.

Another mode of acquiring Citizenship in Nigeria is citizenship by Registration. A person can apply to be register a citizen of Nigeria.

This applied to

  1. Any woman who is or has been married to a citizen of Nigeria. This provision apply to a woman who was married to a Nigeria Man but is divorce. A non-Nigeria Man who is married to a Nigerian woman cannot be a citizen of Nigeria by Registration.
  2. A person of full age and capacity born outside Nigeria any of whose grandparents is a citizen of Nigeria. "Full age" in Nigeria context is presume to be a person who is 18 years of age and above. A person born outside Nigeria neither of his parents are citizen of Nigeria, although cannot be a citizen by birth but can be a citizen by registration provided he is of full age and capacity and any of whose grandparents is a citizen of Nigeria.

Such a person would apply to be registered a citizen of Nigeria and upon fulfilling certain requirements and to the satisfaction of the President would be register a citizen of Nigeria.

The requirements include:

  1. He is a person of Good character
  2. He had shown a clear intention of his desire to be domicile in Nigeria.
  3. He had taken the Oath of Allegiance as contained in the Seventh schedule of the constitution.

The question whether he has satisfied these requirements is subjective as it is based on whether it had been met to the satisfaction of the President.

It is important to note that according to Section 131(a) of the 1999 Constitution, only a person who is a Nigerian citizen by birth can rum for the office of President of Nigeria.

Furthermore ,a person can acquire citizenship of Nigeria through Naturalization. A person can apply to the President for the grant of a certificate of Naturalization. There are certain requirements which had to be met to the satisfaction of the President. They include:

  1. He is a person of full age and capacity.
  2. He is a person of Good character
  3. He has shown a clear intention of his desire to be domicile in Nigeria.
  4. He is, in the opinion of the Governor of the state Where he is or he propose to be resident,acceptable to the Local community in which he is to live permanently and has assimilated into their way of life of that community.
  5. He has taken the Oaths of Allegiance prescribed in the Seventh schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
  6. He has immediately preceding the date of his application either reside in Nigeria continually period of 15 years or resided in Nigeria for a continuous period of 12 months and during the period of 20 years immediately preceding that period of 12 months has resided in Nigeria for period amounting in the aggregate.

However Section 28 provide a caveat for any person registered as a citizen of Nigeria or issued a grant of certification of Naturalization. Where a person who is registered to be a Nigeria citizen by registration or grant of Naturalization has acquired or retained citizenship or Nationality of another Nation other than Where he is a citizen by birth. Such person in order to retain his Nigeria citizenship shall effectively renounce the citizenship or Nationality of that other country within 12 months from the date of registration. Thus a person can be a citizen of Nigeria by Registration or Naturalization and also a citizen of another country provided he is a citizen of such country by birth.