The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gabriel Aduda says Nigeria will reopen its Consulate-General in San Francisco due to a huge population of citizens residing on the West Coast of the US.
He told journalist in New York that plans to re-open the mission had reached “advanced stage“.
The Federal Government shut down the San Francisco, California, Consulate in 1989.
“The mission (San Francisco) is very important and in the next few months, before the end of the year, the mission will be running,’’ he said.
The permanent secretary said most of the challenges presented by staff were immigration-related and they were already being addressed.
He said with the level of support the ministry was getting from the Nigeria immigration service, shortage of passport booklet would be resolved by the end of the year.
Aduda commended the Consulate-General in New York for providing improved passport services to Nigerians within its jurisdiction and for organising a cultural show to promote Nigeria’s rich heritage.
The permanent secretary said the consulate had adopted cultural diplomacy through the show to sell the good image of Nigeria.
The consulate had on Saturday organised a cultural show, with the theme “Nigeria: Our Community, Cultures and Unity’’, to showcase Nigeria’s festivals, dances and fashion.
RN