In accordance with the current administration’s strategy to diversify the economy by promoting significant foreign direct investment (FDI), the Federal Government is modernizing its visa-on-arrival policy to accommodate particular needs, The Nation learned over the weekend.
The change is reportedly intended to improve convenience of doing business and decrease human-to-human interactions without jeopardizing national security.
According to reports, the government is using e-solutions extensively for the country’s migration administration and policy.
Since the opening of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Technology Innovation Complex at the NIS headquarters in Abuja last year, our correspondent was informed by top sources in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Ministry of Interior that the visa-on-arrival policy has urgently needed to be upgraded in tandem with the reality of the technology infrastructure and other components to ensure full monitoring of foreigners entering and leaving the country.
“We cannot run the technology complex without examining the visa-on-arrival policy’s shortcomings or gaps. Regarding the flow of people into the nation, we have seen some trends.
“We have made our infrastructure comprehensive, and as it stands, the current strategy and implementation of the infrastructure could be characterized as impenetrable in terms of security,” the insider stated.
In a recent statement regarding the new administration’s visa applications and approvals, Interior Minister Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo stated that the government aimed to process visas for foreigners entering Nigeria in no more than 48 hours.
The Tinubu administration would make sure that foreigners who apply for visas to enter the country receive their documents 24 to 48 hours after submitting their application, the minister added.
He evaluated the visa policy while announcing the start of an e-visa training session for 162 NIS officers chosen from different formations around the nation.
We want a situation where it is easy for people to enter Nigeria, Tunji-Ojo stated. Opening our borders to tourists, economic engagement, and all short-term visas is something we desire.
“We should permit people to enter without jeopardizing national security. We firmly believe that a balanced approach to convenience and national security can be achieved.
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Therefore, the entire concept behind the e-visa solution is that individuals will be able to apply for and receive their visas completely online, from the application process to the approval process. It should usually be within 24 hours, or at most 48 hours, in my opinion.
Participants in the training class were informed by the minister that they would be in charge of improving the e-visa policy’s user experience.
We don’t want people to have to wait a lifetime to obtain visas to Nigeria, he continued.
In an interview with our correspondent, NIS officials commended the current administration for its dedication and enthusiasm regarding the purchase and application of passports, the application and approval of visas, and the installation of e-gates at the country’s airport.
The minister’s collaboration with Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, was also praised.
