Abuja, Feb. 22, 2025 – The Federal Government is reviewing the Visa-on-Arrival policy because of its abuse by some passengers.
Olubumi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, said this in Abuja on Friday at the closing ceremony of a five-day capacity building workshop for Nigerian Immigration Officers.
He said the government had discovered that passengers with the criminal intent were exploiting the policy to by-pass the mandatory immigration procedures.
“The Visa-on-Arrival issue is one of the core policy issues 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. So, the way it is at the moment is very subjective. We are not really too objective and that is why we are automating the whole process end-to-end.
“And the e-visa solution, we are working hard to be able to meet the first of March or peradventure if we are unable, the first of April, we will hit it live.
“We will automate the system. People apply online and we will do what we need to do.
“That solution will be integrated with the Interpol system, the criminal records system, so that we can be able to take decisions.
“We do not want foreign attachés approving and issuing visas. It is not going to be that any more, we want to be able to screen people.
“This country cannot be a destination for wanted criminals in the world. Nigeria is not a safe haven for any criminal and it will never be,” the minister said.
