The Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) recently released its financial report for January to June 2023. Nigerian nationals led in applications to the Citizen by Investment Programme, comprising 21% of total submissions.
Notably, a citizenship application for eight individuals, valued at US $125,000, was submitted.
In the context of urban beautification, the government, under Minister Maria Browne’s Lands and Urban Renewal initiative, invested EC $405,000 in procuring palm trees.
These palms, planted along Friars Hill Road by the National Housing Development and Urban Renewal Company Limited, are of an unspecified species, potentially growing up to 50 feet.
The report also underscores governmental expenditures on business hubs, totaling at least US $100,000 on three occasions.
Specifically, on February 2, 2023, National Housing received EC $270,000 for business hub construction.
Additionally, EC $300,000 was allocated to City West business hub development on March 8, and another $300,000 was spent on a business hub in City East on March 21.
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Are those Palm Trees made of gold? I listened to Maria Browne in Parliament trying to speak on that Palm Trees matter.She sounded as if she is confused as to what actually happened with those funds.CIP funds are being spent like drunken sailors on shore leave.
This looks like wanton wastage . $405,000 for trees? Something stinks to high heaven here. Who did they purchase these trees from?
No wonder citizens cannot benefit from the CIP like St Kitts and Nevis.
Why would we want Nigerians here?
The are giving away our passports.
ALP. The epitome of corruption. No wonder they can’t pay contractors.
Why we want Nigerians here – I’d think because they are humans- you racist piece of sh!t.
The can afford CIP, what CIP is for WHITE, ARAB and ASIAN people only… You’ll SICK now man
$405,000 for palm trees? I wish they plant a variety of beautiful trees that also produces edible and local fruits.
But I am going to quit my job and get into the palm tree business. $405,000? Wow.
I honestly find that unreasonable.
nigeria and scam all blends well!!!
Palm trees are nice, but I find them a little artificial looking outside of their original countries. When visitors come here, they presumably would want to see the more natural traditional vegetation of this region. We have many beautiful plants and trees such as the iconic bougainvillea, crotons, and hibiscuses, even the aloe and other cactus-like plants. Why not ask local plant experts to suggest what might be best to represent the country and also be sustainable through drought conditions? I also like the idea of fruit trees. An easy beautification technique is to give famillies and communities fruit trees to plant regularly including mango and a few breadfruit, plantains, bananas etc. so that people can also have food to eat in their yard reducing the cost of living simultaneously.
@Jahwa; what are you one? Nigeria is the scam capital of the world. Duh? Racist? Come on man. How dumb is that? We are giving away our passports and we know they don’t do proper due diligence. So cuss all you want. Me say, are nah wan non scam artist ya.
BTW. Some of the owners of our passports are know terrorists countries as well.
I told you’ll this Man called Gatson Browne, you’ll Prime Minister, is in the corruption sceem with these Nigerians.
You’ll keep ignoring the blatant evidence right in front you’ll.
But trust me, America and Britain is watching.
That’s why the US will never Again put a Embassy in Antigua, because they know they can’t trust it’s transparent system in the Hands of this CURRUPT leader called Gatson Browne.
A 1000 undocumented Africans walking around St johns was a big big give away, and he talking about so-called deal with Air Peace.
And now CIP with (more than likely) these unscrupulous
Nigerians. The clues are right in front you’ll. Wake up Antiguan’s, wake up.
@Watching
My brother, cool yuh vibes. Not every Nigerian involved in scams, y’know. Stereotypes nuh fair. We all need to unite and focus on the real issues. Jah bless, no negativity.
@no hate.
The man is talking about the real issues here, that Gatson Browne is a corrupt bastard.
We directly know that, it’s so happen the he’s in league with these very Nigerians that you so readily defend. Are you that daft?
@watching is talking about the direct relationship with these Nigerians he Give CIP to, and go out his way to bring them into Antigua by any means necessary.
Didn’t you witness the debacle with the 1000 undocumented Africans that were roaming around in Antigua last year?
Stop being short sighted and open your eyes Rasta.
So @watching is dead on point with the issues at hand.
WE HAVE A CORRUPT LEADER IN OFFICE..
And if that’s not a real issue, you’re more blinder than I thought to suggest that @watching is just spitting hate at all Nigerians.
We just stating the facts, and judging off the relationship this man call Gatson Browne have with these “Nigerians”.
Selling passports is just a money making scam. These people, for the most part, pay for a passport and invest nothing in Antigua. Then what happens to the funds, that is the question. Show me one major infrastructure project that has been funded. Unless you call palm trees infrastructure. Not even the national debt is reduced. And this government borrows for everything.
@ Islanman26, big up. I have been saying this for over a year. Gaston Browne has some kind of obsession with Nigeria perhaps because of the crates of money that came here on the first “Antigua Airways ” flight. He gave sanctuary to a Nigerian family wanted in Nigeria on fraud charges. Where the hell are they today?
In university I met many Nigerians and none of them were good. I don’t hate folks. I just call it as I see it, always standing to be corrected when the facts prove otherwise.
Gaston Browne is greedy and will not discriminate about who he gets kick back from. Nigeria is the know scam capital of the world.
Our country is rotten and we don’t need anymore shady people here to drag us further into the dust.
@watching.
You are dead on in stating the facts about this man and his relationship with these Nigerians, dead on, so don’t stop pointing out his greedy ways, isn’t in just the other day the feds corner one of the biggest Nigerian scammer over there in Dubai and gave his arse 9yrs I think 🤔. This Nigerian was in Dubai living the big life, him and his young son, buying all kinds of expensive stuff and living in luxury, claiming to be a “content creator” and claiming he makes his money by promoting “name brand” products, all the while this man is ripping off people to the tune of around 16mil.
The thing that these dumb scammers doesn’t realize, is that when you claim you have a business, you have to prove to the feds how and how much you start your business with.
The start up money of a business and where you get it
from will always give the clues as to how to arrive at making all this money out of a your business.
So the feds looks at that, and if that money was gotten by ill-gotten gains, then they don’t care if ten years later you seem to be a legitimate business man, that’s what these scammers don’t understand.
But @watching. Big up yourself and continue the good work.
Love reading your side of things on this forum.
Everyone wouldn’t hear us, but it will get to the right ears at some point.
Man like @Rasmood and man like @Brix, love reading you’ll pieces on here as well.
Blessed day!
You know what amazes me most. First they claim we do not get reports from the CIP unit. And make all sorts of claims about the government hiding the figures. And how we have made so many billions. And when they get the financials and their lies are exposed, they look for something else to criticize. They will never apologize for their lies.
Well whether we get Nigerians or Russians, the point is these people do not have the slightest intention of coming to live in Antigua and Barbuda. They want the passport for other reasons. Some may be visa free travel to certain countries, and others may be for hiding of wealth from the government or even family members in the country they reside. Everyone has their own reason for wanting to have another citizenship.
All I know many Antiguans with American citizenship are catching hell now when they realize that uncle Sam is now getting their financial information from our banks. So they are quickly putting all the monies in the banks in family member’s names and closing their bank account. A beneficiary of a will the other day refused to accept her inheritance because she was afraid of what uncle sam would tax her. So she is setting up a Trust for that now.
@Here’s Sidey, offering some lame attempt at painting corruption with fair colors.
Come on Sidey! You know damn well millions of dollars of CIP money are unaccounted for. Everything is shady, secretive and full of questionable motives with Gassy holding the purse. Are you so daft man? We have to be concerned about who the hell is allowed into our country whether they come from Nigeria or Timbuktu.
Why do the even call it CIP anymore, when US $125,000 buys citizenship for a family of four with no investment? Sidey, you’re missing the point. This is not about personal reasons for wanting alternative citizenship. We are concerned because your BOSS is greedy and corrupt and will sell the country to known crooks for a dollar.
We know the due diligence is non-existent. Why do you think the UK and Canada has taken steps to protect their borders from people holding Antiguan and Barbudan passports?
I can only shake my head when reading your lies. It will continue no matter what. Antigua and Barbuda were never singled out for visa free travel. It was done across the board for all of the Isands offering CIP in the Caribbean. And Antigua and Barbuda has climb the list of countries with the most visa free travel.
https://www.guideconsultants.com/passport-ranking/antigua-and-barbuda-passport-ranking/#:~:text=The%20Antiguan%20passport%20is%20currently,the%20Guide%20Passport%20Ranking%20Index.
Our Passport is ranked 27 with 152 countries visa free travel.
And when you make allegation of corruption, please come with proof. otherwise just jush. But then again that is what you guys keep doing, making baseless allegation. just run your mouth. And that is what you call free speech. Say what you want whenever you want.
SIDELINES: They have to be careful to whom they are selling the Passports.Do you remember,there was a man with a CIP Passport.He was about to be arrested by the Police in Thailand.He committed suicide and an Antigua and Barbuda Passport was found in his Hotel room.He was known on the Dark Web.So how the heck did he get one of our Passports?
@watching. Well said.
Just across the bay from us in Montserrat, Britain has taken the same measures in protecting themselves from anyone entering there country with a Montserratian passport(those who were not born there) and as soon as their passport expires and they are still in Britain, they will not renew that passport, but send them straight back to the country of their birth, not back to montserrat.
The reason for this move is that the crooked people from all around the world was taking advantage of this lacks immigration system that the CIP and other programs were unwittingly promoting.
The Jamaicans, the Guyanese and especially the Dominican Republic people were taking advantage of this loophole by coming to Montserrat and get their little residency just to move on to Britten or the US because Montserrat is a British territory and have easy access to Britain.
Who even no the background of some of these people?
So let @sidey huff and puff with his foolish defense of Gatson Brownes CIP, we know better and know the immigration problems that these investment programs create with criminals around the world.
If Alan Sanford wasn’t a wake up call, then we really have not learned at all.
@These Nigerians eat, sleep and breathe scams. I, personally have received two scam letters from Nigeria this year, so far, the most recent being about four days ago. There was a well known Antiguan who is said to have fallen prey to one of these scammers and had his bank account cleaned out. It would be unfair to label every Nigerian a scammer however there are definitely too many who are. Gaston Browne does seem to be enthralled with Nigerians, note his closeness to one who heads a government ministry who claims Antigua is underpopulated. This is a joke too far but you can see his ulterior motive. You’re right; Antigua doesn’t need any Nigerians, their reputation is next to rock bottom. Don’t be put off by their insults. Truth hurts and you have tread on their toes. Wouldn’t it be funny if Gaston was taken to the cleaners by one of his Nigerian friends? That really would be funny, it could happen.
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