Federal Government has approved more registries to facilitate marriages. Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who disclosed this, said government, with the interest of citizens at heart, took the step to ensure efficient service delivery to all citizens willing to be legally married and obtain a federal marriage certificate from their various states without having to travel far to get it.
Tunji-Ojo said additional six registries approved by government will be established in Delta, Ondo, Oyo, Jalingo, Taraba, Akwa-Ibom and Benue states.
The initiative, he said, is part of the strategies of the ministry to actualise the agenda of the Department of Citizenship and Business, which has been given the responsibility of delivering excellent administration of registries in the country.
Full operations are expected to commence in the new registries early March. A statement explains the duties of the department, saying:
“The ministry, through the Citizenship and Business Department has recorded tremendous achievements since inception, which include the automation of the Federal Marriage Registries in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin, Owerri and Kano.”
“The Citizenship and Business Department, under the Ministry of Interior, is responsible for processing and granting of expatriate quota requests and business permit; monitoring of the implementation of the expatriate quota facilities by the benefitting companies, in conjunction with Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS).
“It also handles the processing of applications for Nigerian citizenship by naturalisation, registration and confirmation; administration of federal marriage registries in the country; and the processing and granting of licence to worship centres for the conduct of statutory marriages under the Marriage Act, 1963. Over the years, the ministry through the department has recorded tremendous achievement since inception,”
