The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to marriage registries to deliver on its mandates towards the citizens. This was evident in its recent approval of six additional marriage registries in new locations to be established in the country to ease the flow of processing of legal marriages.
The Minister said as a government with the interest of its citizens at heart, it was doing all that is possible to ensure efficient service delivery to all citizens willing to be legally married and obtain a recognised Federal Marriage Certificate from their various states without having to travel far to get it done.
The Minister said the approved six additional registries to be established in the country are to be situated in Asaba, Delta State; Akure, Ondo State; Ibadan Oyo State; Jalingo, Taraba State, Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State and Makurdi, Benue State.
The initiative was part of the strategies of the ministry to actualise the agenda of the department of Citizenship and Businesses with responsibility to deliver a topnotch administration of Federal Marriage Registries in the country.
The newly approved registries with the existing ones will boost the effectiveness and smooth delivery in the operations of the legal marriage processes in the country.
Full operations is expected to commence in the new registries by early March, 2024.
The Ministry through the Citizenship and Business Department has recorded tremendous achievement since inception, which included 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 the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS). Processing of applications from the applicants for Nigerian citizenship by naturalization, registration and confirmation; administration of Federal Marriage Registries in the country; and processing and granting of license 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.