Nigerian missions in US to address passport, visa, Diaspora concerns

To address concerns from the diaspora and combat internet disinformation, Nigerian missions in the United States hosted a virtual town hall meeting with Nigerians nationwide on Sunday.

The Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., the Nigerian Consulate General in New York, and the Nigerian Consulate General in Atlanta are the three missions.

Instead of starting at 9 p.m. (New York time), hundreds of Nigerians tuned in and spoke with their diplomats from 7 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.

The attendees voiced urgent concerns and got direct responses on everything from trade, investment, and national image to passports and visas.

Along with discussing workable options to enhance services at the missions, the conference also provided constructive criticism.

Nigeria's Acting Ambassador to the United States, Amb. Samson Itegboje, said that in order to expedite the process, New York and Atlanta now each have a passport printer, while Washington, D.C., has two.

At first, the Consulates General in Atlanta and New York alternated monthly trips to Washington, D.C. to produce passports, while the passport printers were based solely in Washington, D.C.

However, he expressed regret that "Nigerians want us to do magic when they apply for passports, visas, and other consular services at the last minute."

"The purpose of this gathering is to listen to Nigerians, understand their issues, and look for solutions," Itegboje stated.

"Our service delivery has been getting better. Reviews have been positive, and we will keep becoming better.

“We’re going to continue to do our best because we don’t want any Nigerian to suffer.

“This government attaches great importance to the Nigerian diaspora community, and it’s why it is part of the 4Ds.”

He said President Bola Tinubu’s 4Ds (Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora) foreign policy doctrine was democracy, development, demography, and diaspora.

The Nigerian diplomat explained that the Nigerian government would leverage the power of the Nigerian diaspora to enhance diplomatic relations.

The Consul-General of Nigeria in New York, Amb. Abubakar Jidda reminded the diaspora that Nigeria remains their country and cautioned them against destructive criticism.

“Whatever name you give your country is the name others will call it,” Jidda said.

“Let’s continue to identify challenges and solutions to those challenges to make Nigeria better.

“But these problems are not even one-sided. You have some Nigerians who come to the missions with some tones of disrespect, and some of us have experienced it firsthand.

“Nigerians should help us to help them. Let us continue to meet like this to understand your problems while you also understand our challenges”.

Jidda cautioned Nigerians against engaging in what he described as “mischievous and injurious” impressions against the missions in a desperate attempt to trend on social media.

“This is not only unfair to our officers who go above and beyond but also harmful to Nigeria’s image,” Jidda said,

He pledged that Nigerian diplomats “will not allow deliberate misrepresentation to undermine our mission”.

“While we criticise, we should endeavour to acknowledge the good works that the Nigerian missions in the U.S. are doing.

“We must also counter negative narratives mischievously meant to tarnish our image or isolated cases while overlooking excellent services that are being rendered to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians in the U.S.”

Amb. Auwalu Namadina, Nigeria's consul general in Atlanta, emphasized in his remarks that "fixing Nigeria is not for some, but for everybody."

In order for the missions and Nigerian citizens in the United States to comprehend one another's difficulties and provide long-term solutions, Namadina called for constant communication.

Additionally, he promised to resolve any issues raised regarding the Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta.

The missions' enhanced service delivery and professional interactions with Nigerians were praised by the participants.

This was an excellent lesson in listening, dispelling myths, and formulating solutions. According to Patience Key, the former president of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) America, it is how a nation maintains its dignity.
The participants committed to maintaining Nigeria's reputation in the United States and luring foreign investment to their country.

Nigerians nationwide were invited to the 2025 Independence Day Parade and Carnival in New York in October as the meeting came to a close.