The Federal Government has ended the Visa-on-Arrival policy, saying that Nigeria is not a destination for criminals
The Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo who made the announcement, said the policy was not effective.
He disclosed that the government had noticed a pattern where people avoid travelling into the country directly by air, only to land at neighbouring countries and complete their journeys through land borders.
He described the scenario as unacceptable, saying the Federal Government would unveil a multi-faceted solution by March or April to take care of grey areas on entry into and exit out of the country.
Tunji-Ojo said in place of Visa-on-Arrival, landing and exit cards would be introduced and integrated into the solutions for travelers to complete before arriving in Nigeria.
The Visa-on-Arrival policy was introduced in 2020 as a short-stay visa issued at entry points, but the Minister said the policy failed to meet global standards and best practices as it was not done anywhere in the world.
Tunji-Ojo made the remarks at the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Friday during the closing ceremony of the five-day training and capacity-building programmes on Advanced Passenger Information-Passenger Name Record, API/PNR System for NIS officers.
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The capacity building which was meant for 100 Officers was organised by the Nigeria Immigration Service under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of the Service, Mrs Kemi Nanna Nandap.
Tunji-Ojo said: “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 preadventure 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.”