ABUJA/Nigeria: Senator Ned Nwoko, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Reparation and Repatriation, has thrown his weight behind a proposed bill seeking to grant Nigerian citizenship to Afro-descendants able to trace their ancestral lineage to the country.
The bill was formally presented to Senator Nwoko during a courtesy visit to the National Assembly by a delegation from the African Diasporan Union, signaling a renewed legislative effort to reconnect descendants of the transatlantic slave trade with their ancestral homeland.
“I assured them of my support while noting the importance of aligning such proposals with our constitutional and legal processes,” Nwoko said in a statement after the meeting.
The legislation, if passed, would provide a framework for recognizing and integrating members of the African diaspora whose heritage ties back to Nigeria. It aligns with broader goals to reinforce cultural, historical, and social links between Nigeria and its global diaspora.
As head of the Senate committee mandated to address issues of reparation and repatriation, Senator Nwoko emphasized the need for legislation that serves the long-term interests of people of African descent. He described the citizenship initiative as a meaningful step toward historical justice and pan-African solidarity.
In a related development, the senator disclosed that he has introduced another bill currently under deliberation in the Senate, aimed at granting voting rights to Nigerians living abroad.
If both bills succeed, they would mark historic milestones in Nigeria’s engagement with its diaspora, expanding the scope of citizenship and political participation for millions of Nigerians and their descendants worldwide.
