By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government has said it has no plan to prevent youths from travelling abroad, stressing that reports insinuating such are totally untrue.
A statement issued by Towoju Raphael on Saturday on behalf of the Director Press at the Ministry of Interior said the reports quoting the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Mr Shuaib Belgore, as saying so purely misinterpreted him.
The Presidential Committee from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) had recently visited the ministry and Mr Belgore welcomed them on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola.
In the statement issued yesterday, the ministry advised Nigerians to be cautious of manipulative misrepresentation of the federal government’s intentions, statements or activities.
It emphasised that any Nigeria willing and ready to follow the legal channels to travel around the world are allowed to do so.
In its clarification, the ministry said Mr Belgore only told his guests that the committee should work with the Citizenship and Business Department of the Ministry to facilitate opportunities for youths to benefit from the local content prospects of its expatriate quota program, thereby creating decent job opportunities for youths in Nigeria.
The statement further said the Permanent Secretary said the Ministry of Interior, with its associated agencies, remain committed to ensuring the security of lives and property of Nigerians, public safety and citizenship integrity of all.
“Among the presidential deliverables of the Ministry is full automation of services in the Ministry and its agencies, which includes the new passport regimes and sweeping nationwide reforms witnessed with the Nigeria Immigration Service; aimed at delivering swift and seamless access to citizenship services for Nigerians,” the statement further quoted Mr Belgore as saying during the meeting.
