Nigeria automates expatriate permit process to boost efficiency, curb graft
Nigeria will fully automate its expatriate residence permit process from May 1, a move aimed at significantly speeding up approvals and reducing opportunities for corruption, said interior minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Critics said the current system for obtaining the combined expatriate residence permit and cards (Cerpac), the mandatory identification and residency document for foreigners working or living in Nigeria, is slow and susceptible to abuse.
Previously applicants for residence in Africa's most populous country and energy producer faced a cumbersome process involving visits to banks, physical form purchases and manual document submissions.
Tunji-Ojo clarified in a post on X that the government was not increasing application fees but rather streamlining the application and payment systems through automation.
During a meeting with business leaders in Lagos last week, Tunji-Ojo said: "The era of going to the bank, buying forms and physically submitting documents applying for Cerpac is over.
"Everything will be processed online, with QR-coded digital copies and backend integration with security systems to verify criminal records and immigration history."
This online system is expected to expedite verification and enhance security checks, he said.
The government is also targeting the widespread misuse of the expatriate quota system, where companies are allocated a certain number of foreign workers for specific roles. The minister cited instances of quotas being approved for positions readily fillable by Nigerians, such as drivers and waiters.
The reforms will ensure quotas are granted primarily for roles requiring skills lacking locally, with a mandatory understudy scheme requiring companies to submit progress reports on knowledge transfer to Nigerian employees.
Further reforms include the introduction of a mandatory expatriate insurance scheme, funded by businesses, to cover repatriation costs and personal liability for foreign workers.
Tunji-Ojo issued a warning to individuals with criminal records, saying the integrated Cerpac system would connect with Interpol and other international security agencies to prevent Nigeria from becoming a haven for wanted persons.
The changes build on earlier reforms, including the automation of Nigeria's electronic visa approval and issuance process announced in February, all taking effect on May 1.
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IOL News
9 hours ago
- IOL News
Is the NPA compromised? Shamila Batohi's remarks spark concern
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The NPA also faced scrutiny for its handling of the case involving Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso, who was recently acquitted in his long-running rape trial. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Defending the NPA, Batohi claimed that the institution had been compromised by corrupt prosecutors working together with criminals to deliberately sabotage cases. These remarks did not sit well with Justice and Constitutional Development Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, who last week summoned her to an urgent meeting to discuss the matter. President Cyril Ramaphosa also wants to meet Batohi, saying he believed the meeting would allow her an opportunity to vent and lay her cards on the table. Ndlovu, a political science lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal said Batohi's comments were very concerning, adding that it was an open secret that there are questions over the credibility of the NPA . He said Batohi knows what is wrong within the institution and although she had changed her description of the chaos at the NPA from "infiltration" to "sabotage", it did not change the fact that there is a crisis in the prosecutorial body. "The (justice minister) summoned Batohi (to a meeting) because her comments were a poor political reflection. 'Batohi made promises when she was appointed but one reason she has failed is because the NPA has been compromised, and another reason is because of infiltration,' said Ndlovu. Another political analyst, Professor Sipho Seepe, believes Batohi was set up politically. 'A series of bungling gives credence that the NPA has deviated from its mandate of ensuring that it conducts its affairs without fear, favour, or prejudice. In a way, Batohi has arguably been set up. She was probably given the suspects before the alleged crimes were investigated. This is what happens when you have a trial by the media.' 'The likes of Matshela Koko, Brian Molefe, and Siyabonga Gama have already been found guilty by popular opinion. This has placed too much pressure on Batohi. We have seen this play itself out in the case of Duduzane Zuma, who had for months been branded a fugitive from justice. "When he came to bury his brother, he was arrested and treated like a violent criminal only for the case to be thrown out," said Seepe adding that the NPA has demonstrated an eagerness to prosecute frivolous cases and ignore findings that involve politically connected individuals. NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga did not respond to questions on Batohi's comments. Meanwhile, the EFF and MK Party want Batohi to appear before Parliament to explain her remarks. The EFF last week wrote to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, requesting an urgent debate on what it believes is an institutional crisis at the NPA. The party said any assertion from Batohi that the NPA has been infiltrated should send shockwaves throughout every organ of the state.
IOL News
18 hours ago
- IOL News
Crisis at NPA: Ramaphosa to meet Batohi for clarity
The National Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Shamila Batohi. Image: Ayanda Ndamane / African News AGency (ANA) IOL and Staff Reporter President Cyril Ramaphosa has called National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Advocate Shamila Batohi to a high-level meeting following her recent remarks accusing prosecutors within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of grave violations. Last week Batohi, responding to criticism over several embarrassing defeats in high-profile cases, said there had been "infiltration" of the prosecution service, but later backtracked, saying she had used the wrong term and instead that certain cases were being deliberately sabotaged. Her remarks have raised serious doubts regarding the independence and integrity of South Africa's legal system. Ramaphosa sees the meeting as an important chance for Batohi to clarify the scope of the purported infiltration and to thoroughly express her concerns. 'The NDPP did make that statement and she later said she used the wrong word about the infiltration. I'm going to have a meeting with her so that she can really download and take off the chest some of the challenges,' Ramaphosa told journalists at the Sefako Makgatho Primary School on Tuesday. He, however, expressed satisfaction with the NPA's work despite the criticism facing the prosecuting authority. 'The NPA has really done considerable work to stabilise itself as well as go on with various prosecutions. Quite often, we look at where there is failure or where there are mistakes, and we think the whole system is not working,' said Ramaphosa. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The NPA was dealt a major blow in the case against former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule when the court ruled that the extradition from the US of his former PA, Moroadi Colota, was invalid. The NPA has also been slammed for bungling the case against Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso, who was acquitted on more than 30 charges of sexual assault, while the failure to secure the extradition of the Gupta brothers, nearly a decade after the Gupta Leaks scandal, has raised questions about the authority's effectiveness. Several parties, including the EFF, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and ActionSA, are demanding accountability, saying if there is sabotage then this happened under Batohi's watch and she should take responsibility by stepping down. Last week the EFF wrote to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza requesting an urgent debate on what it believes is an institutional crisis at the NPA. The EFF said Batohi's remarks suggest undue influence is being exerted on the NPA, compromising its ability to secure justice and accountability. "This is not a casual institutional complaint. It is a constitutional red flag of the highest order," the EFF said. "An assertion from the NDPP herself that the NPA has been infiltrated should send shockwaves throughout every organ of state." ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip called for Batohi's immediate removal, citing the NPA's repeated failures in high-profile cases. "The NPA has become a refuge for politically connected individuals, a place where accountability is avoided, justice is delayed, and prosecutions collapse with shocking regularity. "Under Batohi's leadership, the NPA reels from one scandal to the next. South Africans are left wondering if these failures are merely a result of incompetence, or is there a deliberate agenda to protect the corrupt,' Trollip said. The DA has also expressed concerns about the NPA's failures but has stopped short of calling for Batohi's removal. Instead, the party wants Batohi to explain the failures. Batohi has said that if she felt she was underperforming, then she would step down immediately. When approached for comment on Tuesday, Batohi's office referred questions to the presidency. Batohi's term ends in January 2026. Cape Times
IOL News
19 hours ago
- IOL News
Ramaphosa calls high-level meeting with Shamilla Bathoi following allegations of NPA infiltration
Advocate Shamila Batohi is due to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa over her recent comments about the state of affairs at the NPA. Image: File A RECENT utterance by Advocate Shamila Batohi, the National Director of Public Prosecutions, has resulted in her being summoned to a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa. Bathoi's suggestion that the National Prosecuting Authority, the entity that she heads, has been 'infiltrated' and that its integrity might be compromised as rogue prosecutors collude with criminal elements to undermine the authority's work, has resulted in Ramaphosa's reflex action. Her comments, last week has become a major talking point. Therefore, the meeting, which will be highly anticipated, especially since there has been widespread calls for Bathoi to step down based on the NPA's failings, especially in high-profile matters, is poised to be a pivotal moment in South Africa's legal landscape. In a series of candid interviews, Batohi expressed her concerns over what she described as significant breaches of conduct within the NPA, raising alarms about the independence of South Africa's judicial framework. 'The NDPP did make that statement and she later said she used the wrong word about the infiltration. I'm going to have a meeting with her so that she can really download and take off the chest some of the challenges,' Ramaphosa stated during a visit to Sefako Makgatho Primary School on Tuesday. Cyril Ramaphosa and chief prosecutor Shamila Batohi set to meet. Image: Jacques Naude/African News Agency/ANA The president acknowledged the importance of the meeting, where Batohi will have the opportunity to clarify the scope of her claims and discuss the implications for the NPA's integrity. Despite the unrest surrounding her statements, Ramaphosa expressed confidence in the progress the NPA has made, saying, 'The NPA has really done considerable work to stabilise itself as well as go on with various prosecutions.' He emphasised the need to recognise the challenges faced by the authority while avoiding an overarching narrative that dismisses its achievements. The NPA has faced mounting scrutiny for its handling of high-profile cases, particularly those linked to state capture and the contentious sexual assault trial of Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso. In light of Batohi's comments, criticism has intensified, prompting various political parties to voice their opinions on her future at the helm of the NPA. ActionSA has called for her resignation, labelling her leadership as ineffective in light of the NPA's shortcomings, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) has rallied behind her, vehemently opposing calls for her dismissal. In a robust response to her critics, Batohi has maintained her stance, asserting that she remains steadfast in her role and is not considering resignation. Her term as NDPP is set to expire in January 2026, a period during which she hopes to resolve both internal conflicts and external pressures affecting the NPA's operations.
