From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja and Tony Osauzo, Benin
Nigerians in Italy have called on the Federal Government to come to their aid over irregular supply of international passport booklets to the Nigerian Mission.
This, the group said, would remove the bottlenecks usually encountered while renewing their international passports.
The National Union of Nigerians Associations in Italy (NUNAI) made the appeal in a letter by its president, Rowland Ndukuba, welfare officer, Mike Oputteh and the spokesman, Bruce Idahosa, addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola and the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Idris Isah Jere.
The group disclosed that a good number of Nigerians have been disengaged from their places of employment by the Italian authorities for failure to show evidence of valid international passports.
While saying that the international passport is the only valid document recognised by host countries, the group added that the international passport is the only means of processing any form of documentation and licences required to remain in Italy.
“NUNAI wishes to lay a very strong appeal to the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs, including the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service to save thousands of Nigerians living in Italy.
“This appeal has become necessary as a lot of Nigerians are being stopped from their various jobs because they are unable to present a valid passport to renew their working contract and their residency to stay in Italy.
“The Embassy in Rome is doing everything possible to clear the backlog of seven months on ground as those that were scanned in the middle of May to date are yet to get their passport printed.
“The Nigerian Embassy in Rome captured not less than 3,000 Nigerians in a month for passport and the mission receives passport booklets of 1,500, 1000 and even 500 on an irregular monthly basis.
“But the situation would have been manageable if the supply was even regular on monthly basis,” NUNAI said.