Folaji Adura, President of Nigerian Association in Lesotho, on Friday called on the Federal Government to establish a diplomatic presence in that country to cater for the welfare of Nigerians.
Adura told the News Agency of Nigeria on the telephone from Maseru, capital of Lesotho that there were more than 800 Nigerians resident in that country.
He said: “Nigerians in Lesotho are helpless because of the absence of any diplomatic presence. The Nigerian mission in South Africa caters for our interest. We have challenges that require immediate diplomatic attention.”
He said that a major challenge was the renewal of passports and the logistics involved.
He said: “We have several expired passports which require that we must travel to Johannesburg, South Africa to renew them. We are constantly harassed by the authorities here because we do not have valid passports.”
The president of the association said that countries like India, Ghana, and China had Consulates in Lesotho which catered for their citizens.
Adura said: “There is need to set up a Consulate here. I am aware that Ghanaian Consulate here prints passports for Ghanaians living in Lesotho. They do not need to travel far to renew their travelling documents.
“The journey from Maseru, Lesotho to Johannesburg, South Africa is more than five hours by road.
“We appeal to the Federal Government to consider our plight by making its presence felt in Lesotho.”
Aduro said crossing the border to South Africa was another challenge because immigration officers harassed people without valid travelling documents.
He said that Nigerians in that country were mostly in business, law abiding and were careful not to do things that could tarnish the image of Nigeria.
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