Lawyer Declares He Will Formally Renounce His Nigerian Citizenship in 2026, Vows to Approach Court
- A legal practitioner has publicly disclosed that he made a conscious effort not to renew his Nigerian passport since it expired in 2020
- The UK-based lawyer said he would be formally renouncing his Nigerian citizenship in 2026 and is prepared to approach the court if his application is not approved
- While noting that his parents are Nigerians, not him, he said he would not suffer for something not of his doing
A lawyer based in the United Kingdom, known on X as @chymaker, has declared on the social media platform that he would be renouncing his Nigerian citizenship in 2026.
According to the legal practitioner, he made a deliberate effort not to renew his Nigerian passport since 2020 and would be taking a formal step to dissociate from Nigeria.
Source: Getty Images
Lawyer decides to renounce his Nigerian citizenship
@chymaker expressed readiness to approach the court if his application to renounce his citizenship is not approved by the Nigerian government.
Once his application is approved, he said he would only apply for a visa to visit Nigeria if he feels like it, noting that his parents are Nigerians, not him.
@chymaker added that he was not born in Nigeria and should not be suffering for something he had no hand in.
He vowed to question God for sending him to Nigeria. His viral tweet read:
"I have made the conscious decision not to renew my Nigerian Passport.
"The last passport I had expired in 2020 and in the new year, I will formally apply to renounce my Nigerian citizenship.
"If it is not approved, I will go to court to get an injunction to mandate the SFG to approve my application to renounce my Nigerian Citizenship.
"Whenever I feel like visiting Nigeria, I will apply for a visa and if it is not approved, I won't travel there.
"It is my parents that are Nigerian, not me. I wasn't born there and I don't have to suffer what I didn't cause. One question that I will not fail to ask God was how he thought it was fair to let me be associated with Nigeria. God needs to explain it to me Happy Sunday my people and God bless YOU and YOURS, Amen."
Source: Getty Images
See his tweet below:
Man's citizenship renouncement move elicits reactions
Legit.ng has compiled some reactions to the man's decision below:
@scjerry_1 said:
"Not a bad idea. Everyone has a choice and even though I don't think I'd renounce my Nigerian citizenship, I have not found a reason not to renounce it. It's just cos of unconditional love for the country. If it were to be with reasons, I wouldn't hesitate to do same."
@yinkadeniran said:
"Why are you giving up on Nigeria?"
@Saint_hris said:
"Everyone is hotyour's might still be calm cuz you are not here feeling the heat, yours is minor compared to those here we just have to keep fighting and keep hoping to have a better conversation that can change the existing order, a new Nigeria start with us all."
@BolanleA4 said:
"The one and only Nigerian passport I held was issued in 2001, I refused to renew it when it expired as I was already fed up with the anyhowness of Nigeria."
@cuppydat said:
"I last held a passport in 2011 which I didn’t bother to renew. Visited Nigeria in 2021 with a visa. The woman asked me why will I enter my own country with another man’s passport and a Nigerian visa. I asked her if it’s by force to be Nigerian. She wanted to detain me."
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian man had narrated how he once turned down an opportunity to be a citizen of the United States.
Deputy governor says he didn't renounce citizenship
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Lagos state deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, had dismissed the report that he renounced his Nigerian citizenship.
Channels TV reported that the denial was made in a statement from the media office of the deputy governor, describing the claim that Hamzat renounced his Nigerian citizenship as “misleading and inaccurate”.
A United States-based immigration lawyer, Olubusayo Fasidi, said before the Lagos State Governorship election petition tribunal that the deputy governor took an oath of allegiance to the US and renounced his Nigerian citizenship.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
