Nigerian Gets U.S. Citizenship After 17-Year Wait, As America Celebrates 241 Years Of Independence

By SIMON ATEBA

It was a very long walk to citizenship. Juliet Chinwe Caren-Oriaku, a Nigerian citizen, had waited for 17 years to become a naturalized American. On Tuesday, July 4, her day finally came.

“I am so delighted, it’s been 17 years in waiting,” she told SIMON ATEBA NEWS shortly after the naturalization ceremony at George Washington’s Mount Vernon home on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Mrs. Caren-Oriaku and another Nigerian whose first name is Kayode, was among 100 foreign nationals from over 40 countries. including Ghana, DRC, Canada and Great Britain, who became naturalized Americans in Virginia on Tuesday. Nationwide, about 15, 000 foreign nationals received their American citizenship on July 4, 2017 in over 60 ceremonies.