The Federal Government has corrected an error in the country’s immigration fee structure after former Minister of Aviation, Mr Osita Chidoka, drew attention to a mix-up that imposed expatriate-level charges on international students entering Nigeria.
Chidoka said the issue came to light during a brief visit on Wednesday to Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, Executive Director of the Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, in Abuja.
During their discussion, he learned about the work of the foundation’s Psycho-Spiritual Institute, which runs postgraduate programmes in Psycho-Spiritual Trauma Healing and Psycho-Spiritual Therapy. The programmes, also offered in Kenya, have attracted students from 27 African countries.
During the meeting, Ehusani shared a distressing challenge faced by the institute’s first cohort of international students who arrived in September 2025.
He said the students were told that a one-year study permit would $1,481.06 each — a fee traditionally meant for expatriate workers. By contrast, student permits in Kenya cost around $75 dollars, with most African countries charging between $40 and 110.
Chidoka explained that Nigeria’s immigration payment portal does not include a student visa category, causing foreign students to be automatically classified as expatriates.
Lux Terra, as a result, paid nearly ₦4.5 million for two Rwandan students for a single year.
The unusually high cost had pushed the institute to consider returning the students and moving future applicants to its Nairobi campus.
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Alarmed by the development, Chidoka contacted the Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who traced the problem to the newly introduced Expatriate Comprehensive Insurance.
The insurance package is intended for foreign employees to offset repatriation costs — expenses that previously cost Nigeria more than ₦20 billion annually — and was never meant to apply to students.
Chidoka said the minister reviewed the issue and called back minutes later to confirm that the error had been fixed.
Student visas were immediately exempted from the insurance requirement, removing the excessively high charges placed on the students.
He promptly relayed the update to Ehusani and assured him of efforts to recover the ₦4.5 million already paid by the institute.
Chidoka praised the clergyman for his determination to bring more African students to Nigeria and commended the Interior Minister for acting swiftly to prevent further damage.
He stressed that Nigeria must position itself as a destination for education, describing it as a low-hanging economic opportunity with significant potential.
“We need a national target for attracting international students to our public and private universities,” he said, urging policymakers to align immigration and education frameworks toward that goal. “Nigeria cannot afford to stay out of that market.”
NAN
