Afro-Brazilians Express Desire For Nigerian Citizenship

The recent visit of the Executive Secretary/CEO, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Otunba Biodun Ajiboye to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has sparked concerns by Afro Brazilians who are calling on the federal government to incorporate them back to their ancestral roots and award them citizenship.

The Executive Secretary of NICO was part of Nigeria’s delegation to the just concluded G-20 Summit held in Brazil from November 17-19, 2024.

A statement issued by Caleb Nor, Media Asst to NICO’s Executive Secretary, explained that during the summit, the ES of NICO played the role of a Special Guest at a side event, organized to celebrate this year’s Black Consciousness Month by The African Pride (TAP), a cultural, economic and religious integration platform based in Rio where he received calls on the need for regular convergence of Nigerians living in Brazil at their ancestral home.

“Prominent among those who made the calls were Flavia Da Silva Pinto, a spiritual leader and sociologist known for the fight against religious intolerance of African origin which is linked to the history and formation of Brazil. She commended the visit, saying most Nigerians in Brazil have been there for years without getting in touch with their roots.

“Her words ‘We are glad that today, we have a Yoruba President which is very important to us over here in Brazil. It is also important to let you know that most people were kidnapped and brought here as slaves. So we appreciate the good work you are doing, especially the efforts to organize World Orisha Congress aimed at giving the Yoruba centric, a basis for collective spiritual community and commonality’.

“Similarly speaking, the Co-founder of TAP, Carolina Morais, disclosed that Africa carries a series of symbols and their meanings, stating that through the visitation and understanding of these spaces, the greatest deepening between the two nations, emphasizing the need for repair can be achieved.

“The efforts at synchronizing Nigeria and Brazil saw Otunba Biodun Ajiboye visiting Cais do Valongo, the main port of enslaved landing in America; Instituto dos Pretos Novos (IPN); the exhibition ‘1897 – Kingdom of Benin’ by Osa Seven, a contemporary Nigerian artist and the Museum of History and Culture of Afro Brazilian.

“Otunba who gave assurance that their request and demands will be considered by government said he will take the message back home and start working on how they can be incorporated back to their ancestral roots towards reconnecting them to their original cultural background,” the statement reads.