The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has lamented over the deportation of Nigerians from the United States.
Speaking on the emotional and financial toll deportations are having on Nigerians in the US and their families back home, the Minister called on Washington to uphold international conventions for a dignified repatriation process.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu shared her concern in a meeting with US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in a statement signed by her media aide, Magnus Eze, on Sunday stated that “with about 201 Nigerians currently detained in US immigration centres, and about 85 cleared for deportation,” the Federal Government is pushing for a more humane process.
She noted that many Nigerians in the US send vital remittances to families in Nigeria, supporting their survival and funding their education.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu underscored that these deportations, particularly for individuals with no history of violent crime, should not be traumatic or abrupt.
“We are asking as a country whether they will be given ample time to handle their assets or will they just be bundled into planes and repatriated?” she questioned.
The minister also expressed concern about the potential suspension of the US’s Drop Box Visa System, which has allowed Nigerians to renew visas without in-person interviews.
Furthermore, Odumegwu-Ojukwu voiced worries over the ongoing review of USAID programmes, critical to humanitarian efforts in Nigeria.
She called for clarity, stressing that any reduction in aid would disproportionately affect vulnerable communities in Nigeria and across Africa.
“We cannot say whether it’s outright suspension. A lot of NGOs are worried to get clarifications. We will just make that appeal on behalf of the NGOs in Nigeria, even less than a month into the 90 days review, there have been concerns. And I know before the completion of the review, there is already humanitarian issues in Nigeria and Africa.
“We will make an appeal that this initiative be preserved, even if it is abrogated as an agency, there must be a way of keeping the ideals to ensure that the poor beneficiaries in the communities, not just in Nigeria but Africa are not abandoned,” the minister of state appealed.
