The Nation Newspaper

Tag: visa issuance

  • Anxiety as Egypt delays visa issuance for African fair

    Exhibitors who are supposed to travel to Egypt for the 2018 Intra-African Trade Fair exhibition have lamented their inability to get traveling visa from Egyptian Embassy.

    The exhibition is scheduled for between December 9 and 12. With less than four days to go,  no exhibitor has been able to get visa yet, thus creating anxiety among the business community because they are unsure if the embassy will release the visa before the date of the exhibition.

    But officials of the embassy, has assured that work is ongoing to expediate action on the issuance of visa to the intending exhibitors.

    An official, Lucy Akorebe,  said the workers were working round the clock to ensure everyone gets  visa in the next two days. She appealed to the exhibitors and people travelling for the programme to be patient.

    She said: “We are really sorry for the inconveniences, our workers are inside right now working round the clock to ensure everyone gets visa. We have some international passports from Nexim Bank, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and other places.

    “I am assuring you that in the next two or three days, everyone will get visa to enable them prepare on time.”

  • Fed Govt restricts visa issuance to foreign engineers

    THE Federal Government has begun restriction of issuance of visas to foreigners seeking to take up engineering jobs in Nigeria.

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday gave this indication at the 27th Engineering Assembly of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

    He explained that the visa restriction to foreign engineers by the Ministry of Interior was in compliance with Executive Order 5 signed by him.

    Buhari, who was represented by Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu, said the decision would free up more jobs for Nigerians and improve local content.

    Beyond the restriction, he added that he had approved two key regulations for Nigeria’s engineering/construction sector and they include the Regulation on Licensing of Engineering Firms and Regulation on Construction Industry.

    Buhari said the Federal Government was serious about the order and would ensure that it was strictly adhered to.

    “The implementation of this order has started and as expected some of its attendant benefits, including the promotion of science, technology and innovation in several centres of the economy, are beginning to manifest.

    “Directly connected to these benefits is the fact that the Ministry of Interior has now restricted issuing visas to foreigners seeking to take up engineering roles in the country. Overall, the proclamation of Executive Order 5, meant to improve local content and free up more jobs to Nigerians and give them increased access to procurement opportunities, is achieving its intended purpose,” Buhari said.

    However, the President stated that absence of up-to-date engineering curriculum in tertiary institutions in Nigeria to reflect the current global trend in engineering had drastically reduced the competitiveness of Nigerian engineers.

    “There is a disturbing gap between engineers trained in Nigeria and those trained abroad. Hence, the need for universities to churn out quality and well-trained professionals,” he said.

    On the approved regulations, COREN President Kashim Ali stated that the rules were approved by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and would be implemented by the council.

    Ali stated that the regulation on licensing provides for the licensing of various companies, which include consulting engineering firms, engineering contracting firms, engineering manufacturing and production companies.

    Others include companies that are into engineering service provision, vendoring of engineering machines, plants and materials; and fabrication/repair and maintenance firms.

     

  • Reps probe alleged sharp practices in U.S. visa issuance

    Reps probe alleged sharp practices in U.S. visa issuance

    THE House of Representatives yesterday began probe into the alleged new exploitative visa policy for Nigerians in the United States (U.S.) wishing to come home.

    The policy requires Nigerians to pay $90 per applicant for biometrics to a company, Integrated Solutions (OIS), assigned by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, after paying a visa fee of $180.

    To this end, the House has mandated its Committee on Diaspora to liaise with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to ascertain the truthfulness of the allegation in a bid to “quell the uprising that is going on right now”.

    The House further mandated its committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to investigate the issue in a bid to save the country’s image in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

    The ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior have been urged to stop the proposed scheme till the outcome of the investigation while the Committee on Legislative Compliance ensures compliance.

    The resolution of the House was sequel to the passage of a motion of urgent national importance by a member, Rita Orji.

    When Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun called for a voice vote on the motion, it passed with majority support.

  • Fed Govt goes tough on visa issuance to stop terrorists

    Fed Govt goes tough on visa issuance to stop terrorists

    •Foreign missions to adopt strict policy
    •Boko Haram fighters found in Libya, northern Niger

    To ensure that undesirable elements do not enter the country, the Federal Government has directed it missions to adopt strict visa issuance policy.

    The directive followed the botched attempt by the Chief Imam of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Ahmed  Al-Assir, to enter Nigeria.  Visa applicants from marked areas will, henceforth, be subjected scrutiny, sources said.

    Security agencies have already  stepped up investigation into Al-Assir’s possible contacts  in Nigeria.

    There will also be increased profiling of Nigerians travelling to suspected ISIS strongholds and visiting foreigners. An agency report yesterday said that Boko Haram has dispatched between 80 and 200 of its members to team up with ISIS in the Libyan city of Sitre.

    The report added that Algerian security forces believe that Boko Haram members are currently fighting in northern Niger Republic.

    There were concerns that some ISIS members might have sneaked into Nigeria to Boko Haram.

    A government  source said yesterday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed all Nigerian missions abroad to “be strict with visa.”

    “The end of carefree issuance of visa is gone, all the missions have been directed to subject applicants to thorough screening before they can enter Nigeria,” a source said.

    “Special attention will be paid to ISIS prone areas and allies in some countries. We have records of the operation areas  and affiliates of ISIS.

    “Those coming from suspected areas will henceforth provide comprehensive details of their contacts, hosts and itinerary to the Nigerian Immigration Service(NIS).

    “These are preemptive measures we have in place pending the conclusion of investigation into the visa row of Al-Assir.”

    It was also gathered that  security agencies have been analysing the preliminary report from the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon on how the ISIS Chief Imam obtained visa with a fake Palestinian passport.

    The probe is being handled by the Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) , Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the NIS.

    A source familiar with the development said: “We cannot afford to take things for granted; we are studying the supposed  itinerary of Al-Assir based on the decoy documents he used to apply for visa.

    “There is a way we can track down his network in Nigeria. Definitely, it is obvious that he has some links in the country.

    “The clues we are investigating border on whether some ISIS members have arrived in Nigeria or if Al-Assir was on a mass recruitment mission.

    “You know he is also being interrogated by security agencies in Lebanon, we are going to compare notes with them.”

    Al-Assir was arrested on August 15 at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport,Lebanon on his way to Nigeria through Egypt.

    He has been  on the watch-list of Lebanon’s security services since 2013.

    At the time of his arrest, Al-Assir was holding a fake Palestinian passport with Nigerian visa.

    Prior to his disguise, the Lebanese government had accused him of alleged involvement in the death of 17 Lebanese soldiers.

    He had also been sentenced to death in absentia by a Lebanese Court.

    Before Al-Assir’s ill-fated trip, the NIS had barred no fewer than 4,916 Nigerians from traveling out of the country between January and March.

    Some of those affected were suspected to be travelling to enlist in some terrorist movements, including the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq and the Taliban.

    Also, 12,152 foreigners were refused entry into Nigeria because they had no genuine reasons for visiting the country.