By Jimoh Babatunde

Many Nigerians today will want to acquire alternative citizenship or residency as an insurance policy, but going about it is difficult as there are very few countries that are willing to open their doors to Nigerians without demanding visas.

But, a Nigeria/Danish, Henry Olofin says if those class of Nigerians have money to invest, then it makes sense to do so in countries that will give them a formal status in return.

He said many countries encourage immigration through citizenship by investment or residency by investment schemes – often known as golden passports and golden visas respectively. These are characterised by the provision of access to citizenship or residency in exchange for specified investments via a delineated process.

Olofin, who has made a mark in the construction sector in Nigeria and Denmark, said his company, Meibach Venture International, is providing Nigerians with that opportunity to get that citizenship by investing in property in Europe and the Caribbean.

“What we are offering is the flexibility to travel more freely, as and when one chooses without visa restrictions; investment in a country with clear ownership laws, stable currency, an effective legal system and consistent tax rules; access to improved healthcare, education and infrastructure and improved long-term opportunities for the investor’s family.”

Olofin said this program will allow people to tap new ideas and bring to Nigeria.

“If you look at statistics, we have had several thousands of Nigerians going overseas to study, many more people still want to have such opportunity but are faced with visa refusal, or they didn’t have the opportunity but with this programme, your children don’t even need a visa to study in Europe because your investment and green passport covers them. They can go to where they wish.

On how Nigerians can key into the services, Olofin said: “In the specific term you can invest in property, you buy property for yourself or commercial purposes. Secondly, you buy shares in the company for a certain amount of money, or you sign a partnership agreement with a company for a certain amount. Those are some of the investment requirements.

He added that Nigerians don’t need to travel until everything they need for investment or the green card is ready. “We do everything for you, our company is here in Nigeria and people can reach us without stress, you can continue doing your business while we take care of other aspects and when we need you, we will call on you. We have an international reach.”

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He said they are currently focusing on countries like Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Cyprus and the Uk for an investment visa, as well as Antigua in the Caribbean. It is an easy process and has fantastic opportunities right now for investors.

On the choice of Cyprus, he said most other parts of Europe are saturated in terms of investment, “it is easy for Nigerians in the sense that it is a new frontier where the door is still open and you can do a lot of things within a very short time.

“The Republic of Cyprus is a European Union country, so once you are resident in Cyprus, you have freedom of movement and business in European Union countries just like every other person. It is a simple opportunity, no restrictions.

“When you have a Cyprus passport, you don’t need a permit to enter any country in Europe, you are considered as a local in any country within the European Union.

“You will become successful faster than going to Spain where what you want to offer is already in existence.

It is a terrain where you can define who you are and make your mark easily. It is good to be a big fish in a small pond than to be a small fish in a giant pond. Cyrus is a very small country where you can make a good impact on your innovation and the opportunity is there.

Other countries have some level of complication in the process but that doesn’t mean they are not possible; the process can be addressed.  I am only offering a personal advice; Cyprus offers quicker access to success.

“At the tendering of the application, your background check will be done by Cyprian and respective authorities to make sure the individual involved is cleared in the international protocol or financial institution that he is a genuine individual.

“If everything is cleared, in six months you will have your paper. We have other Caribbean countries we operate with but the cheapest is Antigua which is relatively cheaper than the other countries, a lot of people have been using that opportunity.

The amount required for investment is cheaper than other countries, you need to invest to have green card or residence permit, so the demand in terms of volume of money you need to bring is less in Antigua.

Vanguard News Nigeria