Proposed US Citizenship Law Could Impact Thousands of Nigerians

A newly proposed bill in the United States is drawing attention across Nigeria, as it could upend the citizenship status of thousands of naturalised Americans with ties to other countries.

US Senator Bernie Moreno has introduced the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, a proposal that would abolish dual citizenship for Americans. Current US law permits citizens to hold multiple nationalities without renouncing any. Moreno argues that this openness creates the risk of “conflicts of interest and divided loyalties.”

Moreno, who was born in Colombia and became an American citizen at 18, said taking the oath of allegiance was a defining moment of his life. He insisted that US citizenship should require exclusive loyalty and later renounced his Colombian nationality.

If enacted, the bill would affect high-profile figures such as US First Lady Melania Trump, who holds both American and Slovenian citizenship. It would also have far-reaching implications for Nigerians who have become naturalised US citizens while retaining their Nigerian nationality.

Data from the US Department of Homeland Security show that between 2021 and 2023, a total of 38,890 Nigerians became naturalised Americans. Nigeria ranked 13th globally for the highest number of new US citizens in that period and was the only African country among the top 20.

Nigerian law allows dual citizenship for citizens by birth, enabling Nigerians to hold another nationality without losing their status at home.

The proposal surfaces in the same year President Donald Trump issued an executive order seeking to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the US to undocumented immigrants. That order was immediately challenged in court by 18 states and several rights organisations, and remains blocked due to ongoing legal disputes.