SEGUN AWOFADEJI, Bauchi
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, on Thursday, inaugurated a novel issuance and re-issuance of Nigerian passports in the German city of Cologne.
According to a statement from the Nigerian Embassy in Germany, the initiative came on the heels of the immense difficulties faced by Nigerians resident in Germany.
The statement made available to journalists in Bauchi said the initiative would be done periodically to reduce the number of Nigerians resident in Germany seeking new passports or re-issuances.
The passport intervention had 150 children in attendance with a multitude of adults, who trooped to the Embassy in order to be part of the epoch-making event.
The statement noted that, ‘the intervention, which was the first of its kind, was an impactful medium to save applicants the inconvenience of travelling to Berlin and Frankfurt to renew their passports.
It added that there were plans by the Nigerian Embassy in Germany to also take the initiative to other German cities.
The Ambassador added, “No Nigerian citizen in Germany in need of a passport should be without one.”
The intervention also derailed a planned protest by dissident groups, as many of the members planned to be recruited left for the passport intervention.
Ambassador Tuggar, who is in his second term as envoy, was first appointed in August 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Since his tenure began, he has played a key role in attracting investments to Nigeria and more importantly, he was instrumental to the success of the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.