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Nigerian Citizens Association of South Africa (NICASA), has called on all Nigerians living in Western Cape in particular and South Africa in general to officially register with the body.
NICASA is the official South African government-recognised umbrella body of Nigerians in South Africa,
This is contained in a statement, jointly signed by the Chairman of NICASA, Dr. Henry Ezumaha and Azebeokhai Leo, (Deputy Chairman, Western Cape Province), and made available to journalists in Benin, Edo capital, on Friday.
The statement said that the call became necessary ahead of the first ever Nigeria Cultural Festival, slated to hold in South Africa later this year, to showcase the rich culture of the Nigerian people,
The statement noted that through its collaborative efforts, NICASA has made it easier for Nigerians in West Coast (WC) to capture and get their international passports without having to travel to Johannesburg anymore.
The statement reads in part:
“We will help to deal with the welfare of Nigerians through various social and economic interventions.
“We also act as a bridge between Nigerians and the consulate in one hand, and Nigerians and the host community on the other.
“One of our goals is to help build a stable and prosperous Nigerian community in Western Cape in particular and South Africa in general through the various initiatives and programmes that we have carried out.
“And a lot more programmes, activities and interventions planned for the short-, medium- and long-term future that will benefit a lot of Nigerians.
“We go as far as helping to provide all logistics, security and organising the venue throughout days of passport interventions that usually take up to three days at our own financial cost
“Some interventions we have carried out include, but not limited to, helping some sick ones settle their medical bills.
“We visit and rescue Nigerians who have been illegally arrested and kept in jails. We go as far as engaging good lawyers to represent them.
“We have had the incident of sending a terminally-ill patient to Nigeria by covering all costs associated with that process,” the statement said.
According to him, NICASA is a non-profit organisation that funds all its events through the benevolence of the executive members and other well-meaning stakeholders to the benefit of all Nigerians living in South Africa.
The statement encouraged Nigerians to support the association to enable it continue to deliver proper community service to Nigerians in South Africa.