Nigeria’s Federal Government has announced plans to scrap the visa-on-arrival policy, as disclosed by Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. This revelation came during the closing ceremony of a capacity-building training program on Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record API/PNR Data, held at the Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters in Abuja.
The training program was a result of discussions with the United Nations Organization on Counter Terrorism in Bangkok, Thailand, last year. Comptroller General Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, highlighted the immigration service’s commitment to national security, boasting a team of well-trained and patriotic personnel.
“We recognise the need to fully maximize 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. He said; “What the API, PNR gives us is objectivity in decision making, objective profiling, not subjective profiling. What we had was subjective.
“Today, we have had, we have sorted the API across all of our five international airports and we are looking at working with you more on the issue of adapting some of these into our land borders because it is also very key. Because we realized the pattern, of recent, I think, over the last couple of weeks, that a lot of people would rather fly to neighbouring countries and come into Nigeria through the land borders to evade the API PNR system. So we have seen that pattern.
“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. Dr. Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the API/PNR system is mandatory, marking a significant shift from the past. The implications of this policy change are yet to be fully understood, but it’s clear that the government is taking steps to enhance national security and immigration protocols.
“The visa system, that is one of the core, 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 1st of April, we will hit it live.
“We 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 more.
This cannot be a destination for wanted criminals in the world. Nigeria is not a safe 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 harmonize all these solutions in our data centre, harmonize 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, it will be impossible for approvals to be given without the clearance of interpol, criminal records system and all background checking agencies in real-time. Security is not a sector where you can afford to be 99.9% correct. You just have to be 100%. 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, it is never done anywhere and of course, we are also introducing what we call 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.
“People must fill the landing card which will be integrated with the visa solution, integrated with the passport solution, then to all background checking systems across the world before you come. So we will be able to share this data with other agencies and across the world. This is to sanitize the process. A scenario where it is difficult for NIS, on the tip of a finger, to tell me the number of foreigners who are into Nigeria is unacceptable. A scenario where somebody comes into Nigeria, disappears, and becomes untraceable is unacceptable. A scenario where there is abuse of immigration policies and processes is unacceptable. A scenario where somebody needs to come to Nigeria, stay for six months, waiting to regularize their residency in Nigeria is unacceptable.
“It is not done anywhere in the world. 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, is for us to be responsible in the comity of Nations, and for us to be able to contribute our fair quota to international peace.”
