Officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, embarked on an intervention mission to capture biometric data and make passports available to Nigerian citizens living in Lao PDR. The intervention exercise led by Immigration Attache, Mr. Abubakar Janyau Mohammed, was conducted from Thursday 12th to Friday 13th May 2022, in the Grand Hotel Vientiane. 

Prior to dispatching the intervention, the Embassy had received a number of requests from Nigerians in Laos whose passports had expired. This state of affairs has brought hardship to our citizens, as they were not able to extend their visas in Laos. Upon reciept of the complaints, the Embassy of Nigeria in Bangkok made attempts to go to Laos to offer this essential service to our citizens, but the travel restrictions occasioned by the pandemic made it impossible. 

Happily, with the easing of travel restrictions coinciding with the end of ramadan, the Ambassador of Nigeria to the Kingdom of Thailand, with concurrent accredition to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, H. E. Mr. Ovikuroma Orogun Djebah approved the urgent passport intervention mission to Laos P.D.R. During the intervention exercise, no fewer than 28 Nigerians had their biometrics captured preparatory to the production of their passportin Thailand. The intervention team promised that the passports would be ready in not less than two months. 

Prior to this intervention, the team had conducted similar excercise in Cambodia where at least 300 Nigerians participated. The Nigerian Community in Laos has expressed relief for the intervention. A participant identified as Uche, said his passport had expired since 2021 amid the covid travel restrictions. Now he has some hope to be able to present his documents to the Laos Immigration Office. Another participant said his passport would expire months later, but he came early for the renewal just to be on the side of caution. There are an estimated 90 Nigerians currently living in Laos, down from the 500 Nigerians who stayed in the country prior to the declaration of the Global Pandemic. Many Nigerians left the country in the first half of the year 2020, in anticipation of the oncoming devastating economic effects of the Global Health Emergeny. Most Nigerians who still reside in the country are Business people, Footballers, International NGO Staff and Teachers.