22-02-2025
Why Nigeria govment wan end visa-on-arrival policy- how and wetin be di alternative
Nigeria goment don announce plans to replace dia visa on arrival policy.
Na di Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo tok dis one for di Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) capacity-building training wey dem title "Application Of Advance Passenger Information And Passenger Name Records Data In National Security And Law Enforcement".
Na former President Muhammadu Buhari administration bin start di visa-on-arrival policy for 2020 to be short-stay visa wey dem dey give for point of entry.
Tunji-Ojo say federal goment go start landing and exit cards wey visitors fit fill bifor dem enta di kontri to replace visa on arrival policy.
Why dem dey do am?
Di minister of Interior for im remarks torchlight say e dey necessary to bring di immigration data centre togeda.
E explain say dat kain collabo go make am impossible to give clearance to just anybodi to enta di kontri witout say dem get clearance wit Interpol, di criminal records system, and all di background checking agencies at once.
E torchight say security na di koko reason behind di decision to run di cancellation of visa-on-arrival.
"We understand say visa-on-arrival no be system wey dey work bicos I no fit expect say you go just enta my kontri witout say I know say you dey enta my kontri."
"No wia dey wey dem dey do dat kain tin," interior minister tok.
How di visa on arrival policy dey work for Nigeria.
According to di Nigerian Immigration service, pipo wey fit collect visa on arrival to enta Nigeria na pipo wey dey come into di kontri on business purpose except ECOWAS citizens wey no need visa to enta di kontri and oda kontris wey Nigeria get visa abolition agreements wit.
Dem say dia eligibility include
Wetin go change?
Wetin go change now be say di pipo go enta di kontri wit pre filled landing card wey according to Oga Tunji-Ojo na to handle national security.
Di landing and exit card wey Nigeria govment dey introduce go help dem clear any visitors we dey come into di kontri bifor e arrive.
Interior minister sa di visa-on-arrival na manual, but di new system go use technology and not manual.
Meanwhile, oda kontris don run dis kain levels but in different ways.
For Kenya, dem announce in January say dem dey change dia visa on arrival process wia ova 40 kontris dem dia citizens fit get stamp for dia passport wen dem land witout say dem pay shi-shi.
Di new move na to allow citizens from almost all African kontris to enta witout say dem need prior authorization.
Bifor den dem bin dey run wetin dem call Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) wey go replace visa requirements for all visitors.
Di process na say pipo must to apply and pay $30 three days bifor dem enta di kontri for security reasons.
Who go dey affected?
Although e neva clear how di move from visa on arrival to landing and exit cards go affect businesses and business pipo wey dey enta di kontri, e fit affect Nigeria position for di Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI).
AVOI wey start for 2016, na index from di African Development Bank Group wey dey measure di level wey African kontris dey open to visitors from oda kontris through di visa requirements.
For di 2024 report, Nigeria bin rank number 6th in di continent wit visa openness. Dis na as Ghana, Rwanda, The Gambia, Seychelles and Benin beat di kontri.
Di kontri wey get di worst rating for visa openness for di continent na Sudan.
Di federal govment neva tok di process wey di landing and exit card go take and how visitor go access am.
E neva also clear if govment officials and Ecowas member states go dey affected for dis new policy.
