Statelessness & Citizenship Review 2020 2(1) transparency and efficiency of the process, 97 as we have argued in Part III. Below, we will outline what an SDP for Nigeria could look like. B Proposed Structure and Location of SDP When proposing a structure and location of SDP for Nigeria, it is important to draw from practices in states with fairly good SDP in place. States that could guide Nigeria in this regard are the UK and Brazil. In the UK, the competent authority for determination of statelessness is the Home Office Department of Visas and Immigration. The Home Office’s Department of Visa and Immigration is responsible for considering applications for British citizenship from foreign nationals as well as the determination of statelessness. 98 Similarly, in Brazil, the National Secretariat of Justice of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security is responsible for matters related to nationality, naturalisation, recognition of refugee status, statelessness, residence permit. 99 In Nigeria, somewhat similarly, the Ministry of Interior (‘MOI’) is currently responsible, amongst others, for granting Nigerian Citizenship and for immigration services. The MOI has a department known as the Directorate of Citizenship and Business, which is responsible inter alia for expatriate quota administration and matters relating to the grant of Nigerian citizenship. 100 It also has the responsibility for administering and enforcing the provisions of the Immigration Act, evaluating applications for citizenship by naturalisation, confirmation or registration, granting of Special Immigration Status, granting of a Temporary Residence Permit, granting of Renunciation of Nigerian Citizenship etc. 101 The Nigeria Immigration Service (‘NIS’) is a Department under the Ministry of Interior, just like the Department of Visa and Immigration of the UK Home Office. Unlike the National Secretariat of Justice of Brazil and the UK Department of Visas and Immigration both of which are responsible for both citizenship, asylum and statelessness matters, 102 the competent agency for asylum matters in Nigeria is the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (‘NCFRMI’). 103 The NCFRMI, through its RSD, determines refugee status in Nigeria, but it is not mandated to handle or grant Nigerian citizenship. This is the preserve of the Ministry of Interior’s Directorate of Citizenship and Business. 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 See Statelessness Determination Procedures (n 19) 5. ‘Apply for Citizenship If You’re Stateless’, GOV.UK (Web Page) <https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-stateless>. ‘Migrações’ [Migrations], Justica e Segurança Publica [Justice and Public Security] (Web Page) <https://legado.justica.gov.br/seus-direitos/migracoes>. The National Secretariat of Justice has a Department of Migration and the National Committee for Refugees (‘CONARE’). ‘Citizenship and Business’, Ministry of Interior (Web Page) <https://interior.gov.ng/citizenship-and-business//>. ‘NIS Structure’, Nigeria Immigration Service (Web Page) <https://immigration.gov.ng/nisstructure/>; ‘About C&B Department’, Ministry of Interior (Web Page) <https://www.ecitibiz.interior.gov.ng/home/about>. In Brazil, the Department of Migration, which grants access to nationality, is separate from CONARE, but they are both within the National Secretariat of Justice. NCFRMI is under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, while the Citizenship and Business Department that grants access to nationality in Nigeria is under the Ministry of Interior. See ‘The Commission’, National Commission For Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (Web Page) <https://ncfrmi.gov.ng/the-commission/>. 103