By Peter Omopo
A United Kingdom-based Nigerian legal practitioner, Baron Chymaker, has announced that he has formally commenced the process of renouncing his Nigerian citizenship.
Chymaker disclosed the development in a post shared on his X account on Thursday, stating that his legal representative in Nigeria had confirmed the submission of his application to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), along with the payment of all required processing fees.
According to him, he is awaiting official approval of the application.
“I have today received a confirmation from my lawyer in Nigeria that my application to renounce my Nigerian citizenship has been submitted to the SGF and all fees paid as appropriate. I cannot wait for the approval,” he wrote.
Chymaker is widely known on social media for his commentary on international law, legal practice in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, as well as cryptocurrency-related issues.
Over the years, he has been a vocal critic of certain aspects of Nigeria’s judicial system, particularly the application of the doctrine of judicial precedent, also known as stare decisis.
He has previously argued that the doctrine has contributed to controversial outcomes in some election tribunal cases and has consistently encouraged Nigerian-trained lawyers to pursue advanced legal education or consider practising in more developed jurisdictions.
As of the time of filing this report, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation had not issued any official statement regarding Chymaker’s application to renounce his Nigerian citizenship.
