The Federal Government has announced plans to cancel its Visa-on-Arrival policy and introduce landing and exit cards, which prospective visitors will pre-fill before coming into the country.
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced this on Friday in Abuja during the closing ceremony of a weeklong capacity building training organised for personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The training was on Advanced Passenger Information/Passenger Name Record API/PNR Data in National Security and Law Enforcement.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the FG had in 2020 unveiled the Visa-on-Arrival policy, a class of short-stay visa issued at the point of entry.
However, Tunji-Ojo had on assumption of office in 2023 said that the Visa-on-Arrival Policy would, henceforth, be based on reciprocity.
This visa is issued to high-net-worth investors and frequent travellers who are unable to obtain visas in their home countries due to the absence of Nigerian missions or embassies.
The interior minister confirmed that the API/PNR system is mandatory and noted it was not in place when he took office.
According to him, what the API, PNR gives is objectivity in decision making, objective profiling, not subjective profiling.
He added that what existed previously was subjective.
“Today, we have heard, and we have sorted the API across all our five international airports.
“We think that what we need to do is for us to be able to expand the capability of this in an adaptive manner to allow other border posts.
“The visa system that is one of the cores, because I always tell people the visa is not just an approval of entry, it is a migration management device.
“It is a security device to manage migration into your country. Currently, it is subjective.
“We lack objectivity, so we are automating the entire process.”
“And the e-visa solution, we are working hard to be able to meet the March 1st or peradventure if we are unable, April 1st, we will hit it live,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo said that the system would be automated, adding that people would apply online and the service would do what it needed to do.
Hs words: “The solution will integrate with the Interpol System and the criminal records system to assist in decision-making.”
“We do not want foreign attachés approving and issuing visas. It is not going to be that way anymore; we want to be able to screen people more.
“Nigeria cannot be a destination for wanted criminals in the world. Nigeria is not a haven for any criminal and it will never be.
“Another thing we are trying to do even for our expatriates is to see how we can integrate all these our immigration solutions.
“What we are doing is to harmonise all these solutions in our data centre, harmonise the database and be able to let the solutions speak to one another rather than having solutions in silos.
“We want to have integrated solutions. So, what we are looking at is that, for any decision that borders on immigration into Nigeria.
Approvals will require real-time clearance from Interpol, the criminal records system, and all relevant background checking agencies.
“Security is not a sector where you can afford to be 99.9 per cent correct. You must be completely dedicated. We believe that it is better for us to take decisions based on objectivity rather than subjectivity.
“And of course, that will lead to the cancellation of the visa-on-arrival process because the visa-on-arrival we understand is not a system that works, because I don’t expect you to just come into my country without me knowing that you are coming into my country.
“No, this practice is not implemented anywhere. Additionally, we are introducing what we refer to as the landing and exit card.
“We do it now, but it is manual. We are not going to be doing that anymore. This is 2025. This is not 1825. So, technology must take its place,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo stated that individuals must complete the landing card, integrated with the visa and passport systems, as well as global background checks before arriving.
According to him, the ministry will be able to share this data with other agencies and across the world, to sanitise the process.
“So, we are going to bring these massive reforms, and these reforms start between March 1 and April 1.
“Why we are trying to do these is to be able to safeguard our people, it’s for us to be responsible in the comity of nations, and for us to be able to contribute our fair quota to international peace,” he maintained.
The NIS Comptroller-General, Mrs Kemi Nandap said that the programme originated from discussions held with the United Nations Organisation on Counter Terrorism in Bangkok, Thailand in 2024.
“We recognise the need to fully maximise the administration’s investments in this project, and so we must engage in a lot of capacity building.
“We have successfully trained over 100 officers drawn from critical areas,” she said.
Nandap said the service had a crop of well-trained and patriotic personnel who were ready to give their best to the country.
NAN
