Adeyinka Olaiya/
Nigerians in Brazil have revealed the difficulties they are facing in obtaining consular services since 2017 when the Consulate in Sao Paulo State was shut down.
According to those who spoke with NewsmakersNG, thousands of Nigerians living in Sao Paulo and its environs can no longer boast of consular services. They have to travel 14 hours to Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil for services such as passport, visas, and several other consular services.
“We beg the government of Buhari to please reconsider Sao Paulo and restore our Consulate in Sao Paulo for easy access and efficiency; the Consulate in Brasilia can always tackle other activities while the one in Sao Paulo can attend to quick situations such as passports, visas, documents for authentications and necessary information. The Consulate in Brasilia is working hard, but the distance to those of us in Sao Paulo makes things difficult. We beg the government of Nigeria to give us a branch in Sao Paulo,” Chijioke told NewsmakersNG.
NewsmakersNG learnt that the Nigerian population in Sao Paulo is estimated to be five times that of Brasilia. The state of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro also has large numbers of Nigerians living and plying their trades.
The Nigerian Consulate in Sao Paulo was closed in 2017 by the government of Nigeria and all activities had since been transferred to its headquarters in the capital city, Brasilia.
NewsmakersNG also learnt that Brasilia, the federal capital territory can be very expensive to stay for a day or two as accommodations range higher daily.
“It is not bad having our Consulate in Brasilia as others have but the Consulate we used to have in Sao Paulo was helping thousands of Nigerians for quick services because of its proximity and efficiency. It’s been hectic for Nigerians residing in Sao Paulo and other parts of Brazil to travel 14 hours only to obtain consular services in Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil where fewer Nigerians reside,” a Nigerian based in Sao Paulo, Mr Segun Akeem told NewsmakersNG.
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