Nigeria made citizenship abuse warning

THE Nigerian government warned the Taoiseach last year that Ireland’s loose citizenship laws were well-known internationally and were being abused, Bertie Ahern told TDs yesterday.

Defending the Government's holding of the citizenship referendum against criticism from the Human Rights Commission, Mr Ahern told that Dáil the Nigerian leaders wondered why the laws were not being tightened.

After Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte questioned the necessity for the referendum, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern replied that members of the public wondered why people from southern Nigeria and elsewhere bypass Brussels, London and Paris to come to this country.