Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria, Insecurity Won’t Defeat Us – FG Tells Nigerians In Angola

• The Federal Government has assured Nigerians in Angola that President Bola Tinubu is tackling the country’s security challenges and implementing measures aimed at restoring economic growth.

• Defence Minister Christopher Musa said the insecurity confronting Nigeria was partly fuelled by instability in the Sahel, as the government works to strengthen border security and boost the capacity of the Armed Forces and other security agencies.

• Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo declared that Nigeria’s economy was growing and on the path to full recovery, while promising to consider a request for a passport production centre in Angola.

• Nigerians in Angola also demanded improved consular and healthcare services and called for direct flights between Nigeria and Angola by a Nigerian airline.

August 31, () — The Federal Government has told Nigerians living in Angola that President Bola Tinubu is determined to fix the country’s security and economic challenges, assuring the Diaspora community that insecurity would not derail the administration’s efforts to reposition Nigeria.

The assurance was given during an engagement between members of the Nigerian community in Luanda and the Federal Government delegation on the sidelines of the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).

The meeting was coordinated by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, while the Nigerian delegation to the AU summit was led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Tinubu.

Speaking with the community, Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, acknowledged the security challenges confronting Nigeria but said the government was taking comprehensive steps to address them.

Musa linked some of the security threats to instability in the Sahel region and its spillover effects across national borders. He said the government was strengthening Nigeria’s borders to prevent security threats, incursions and the movement of criminal elements across the country’s frontiers.

The Defence Minister also said the Tinubu administration remained committed to defeating security threats across the country, noting that efforts were ongoing to improve the manpower, equipment and operational capacity of the Armed Forces and other security agencies.

The government, he said, would continue to deploy available resources and strategies to protect Nigerians and restore stability across the country.

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, used the engagement to assure Nigerians in Angola that the government was also making progress on the economic front.

“Nigeria is growing, the economy is growing, and Nigeria is on the path of full recovery”, Tunji-Ojo said.

Nigerians Demand Passport Centre, Healthcare, Direct Flights

The Nigerian community in Angola also used the meeting to draw the government’s attention to difficulties encountered in accessing consular services.

Speaking on behalf of the community, Secretary of the Nigeria Community Association in Angola, Nnaemeka Francis Obi, commended the government delegation for engaging directly with Nigerians in the country.

Obi, however, requested the establishment of a Nigerian passport production centre in Angola, saying this would make passport services more accessible to Nigerians resident in the country.

Responding to the request, Tunji-Ojo said he would consider the proposal.

A passport production facility in Angola could ease the difficulties faced by Nigerians seeking to obtain or renew their travel documents and reduce reliance on limited consular arrangements.

Beyond passport services, Nigerians in Angola raised healthcare concerns and called for greater government intervention to address the challenges affecting members of the community.

They also appealed for the introduction of direct flights between Nigeria and Angola by a Nigerian airline.

The community said improved air connectivity would facilitate movement between both countries, strengthen commercial relations and make it easier for Nigerians in Angola to maintain closer links with their home country.

Dabiri-Erewa commended Nigerians in Angola for their contributions to Nigeria’s development and their efforts to project a positive image of the country abroad. She assured them that the Federal Government valued the contributions, concerns and welfare of Nigerians in the Diaspora.

According to her, the views of Nigerians abroad remained important in shaping government policies and interventions affecting them. She urged members of the Nigerian community in Angola to remain united, law-abiding and committed to contributing positively to the development of both Nigeria and their host country.

Dabiri-Erewa also assured them that NiDCOM would continue to facilitate engagement between Nigerians abroad and relevant government agencies to ensure that issues affecting their welfare received appropriate attention.