The Presidency on Friday dismissed reports suggesting that Nigeria had agreed to accept foreign deportees under a newly signed migration agreement with the United Kingdom, clarifying that the deal strictly covers Nigerian citizens residing illegally in the UK.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said the clarification became necessary amid what he described as widespread misinformation surrounding the agreement.
In a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, @TheTope_Ajayi, Ajayi explained that the pact, signed during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent State Visit to the UK, is limited in scope and does not oblige Nigeria to receive non-citizens.
He stated that the agreement, executed by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on behalf of Nigeria, and the UK Home Secretary, Rt. Hon. Shabana Mahmood, for the British government, focuses solely on the return of Nigerians without legal residency status in the UK.
“For clarity, it is important to state that the agreement only relates to Nigerians who do not have legal status to live and remain in the UK,” Ajayi said.
He stressed that Nigeria would not accept deportees who are not its nationals, adding that the UK government is equally not imposing such a condition.
(The Nation)
