E-visa makes it easier for foreigners to come into Nigeria- Tunji-Ojo, Interior Minister

Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says the visa-on-arrival policy will ease the bottlenecks associated with visa issuance.

In this interview on Channels TV ‘Politics Today’ monitored by David Lawani, the Minister explained that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration is bent on leaving behind a lasting legacy of hopefulness as enshrined in the Renewed Hope Agenda. He also talked about the expatriate quotas and other sundry issues

What prompted you to review the visa policy?

You must first understand that nothing is as dynamic as migration management. Poland has just rolled out new regulations regarding migrants and asylum. So, migration is a very dynamic. The visa policy and what we have now, I wouldn’t call it a policy. The President is the one who has the power to sign a proposal for a policy with regard to visa management. What we have is a proposal, and what we did was to bring all stakeholders, including Foreign Affairs, Trade and Investment, Marine and Blue Economy, the diplomatic corps, and others like the Immigration Service and the Ministry of Interior. Let us bring everybody on board. We don’t want to act in silos; we don’t want the Ministry of Interior to sit down and do a policy that will not be friendly to the investment and business community. So, our proposal was tabled with stakeholders, and we all agreed on one or two things. We will be taking it to Mr President for final approval. Migration management is strictly under the President.

What are they proposing in the review of Visa 2025?

A visa is a document for migration management and border control. As a catalyst for economic development, that is the crux of it; you have to build whatever you want to do on these three foundations- that is what we have been able to do with the visa policy 2025. When you look at this visa policy, one fact is that in the area of border control, the application system is quite different from what we used to have. Now, we have about three application channels. You can apply at the embassy via Visa Application Centres (VAC) and E-application, which will be an app and a web browser. Any of these ways could be used. The whole issue is that we are concentrating on approval of visa applications, processing, and approval for Nigeria. We are centralising that. Because of our procedure today, there is no iota of control. You apply at the embassy, for instance, if the immigration attaché receives it, processes and approves it. So, everything is only on one person. We have stopped that. If you recall, in December, Mr President came to commission the Visa Approval Centre, a massive infrastructure. That visa approval centre will work 24/7. We have trained ICAO and Interpol in vetting and have been able to use visas at the border for control solutions. Once you apply, this visa application will be integrated with security and our international database. Once you apply the Interpol, Midas, etc., it is automated. The application goes through that watch list. It queries. It is not subject to human influence because as much as we want to open our borders, we must protect them. We want to open our border for people to enter, and we believe we can do that with technology. The e-visa, for example, is a significant change. Approval for the e-visa to Nigeria will be for the applicant to get a yes or no within a maximum of 48 hours because we want to open Nigeria up. Let people come and see the beauty of Nigeria. Let people go and invest in Nigeria. It should not take forever for somebody who wants to invest in Nigeria and who wants to go for tourism. It is done today more like an e-visa; the decision-making is centralised only to the Immigration Comptroller General’s office. That causes scarcity, promotes bottleneck, and means that for you to get a visa on arrival eight out of 10, you need to know somebody like the CG who will talk to the Minister. You cannot manage the migration process like that. The system must work for everybody without knowing anybody. That is the Renewed Hope Agenda under Mr. President, which he aims to be able to achieve. So, this new system is more secure, user-friendly, centralised, and, of course, more efficient.

Are we using this visa-on-arrival policy to beg for visitors?

I need to correct that impression. As it is today, a visa on arrival is a form of e-visa. The only difference is that when you apply online, it goes to the CG’s office. Only the office of the CG approves visas upon arrival. Once it is approved, they will send you a notice. You take that notice when you get to Nigeria. You no longer go through the pains of what we call the arrival counter, where they will now take it and stick it to your passport. The visa-on-arrival process has only been optimised so that if you apply online, you will get a notification to come. You don’t need a witness; you get approval with a QR code. Like it is done in Dubai, Australia, and Qatar. Most countries of the world now use e-visa. You don’t get approval for an e-visa and get to Nigeria, then try to see another immigration officer to get another one. The bottleneck is too much. Also, approval is needed for people. As you know, Nigeria is a big country and the most prominent black nation on earth. We must make it easy for legitimate people to explore our lands’ beauty. We must open up Nigeria for business, which Mr President is doing. He works daily to ensure Nigeria remains a top investor and destination flight. The last December was busy. It was the highest of people coming into Nigeria for Christmas and New Year. It was great. That alone shows that we need to open up our space. We need to do a background security check without affecting the ease of passage. We are trying to make it easy for people. We are saying that when you put a visa on arrival, it won’t be like when you come to Nigeria and are subjected to unnecessary bureaucracy. That is what we are fighting against. Visa on arrival is an e-visa.

What it means is that you don’t need physical contact when you arrive in Nigeria. You would have gotten your visa, like when you get to South Africa or any other country you want to get an e-visa, already with you. Is that what you mean?

Yes, with your QR code, pictures, and other details. Everything is already there. Once you come in, you will approach an immigration officer just like somebody with a sticker. You come, and all we do is get your biometrics, and we welcome you to Nigeria.

Will the foreigners pay the same amount for their applications?

There is nothing new. We are not bringing in any new fees, but the issue here is that due to the benevolence of Mr President, I am the Minister of Interior. My responsibility as a Minister of Interior is to do everything to help Mr President succeed. Mr President has opened the space for foreign direct investment; a lot is happening in the tourism sector. We need people to come to Nigeria- a beautiful land. I am saying that for somebody who wants to go to Nigeria for holidays, as Minister of Interior, do you know the number of people that will call me? Honourable Minister, please, we need a visa on arrival. Why do you need to contact the Minister of Interior to get a visa when you are coming to spend your money in Nigeria? If I want to go to Qatar, do I need to call the Minister of Interior or see the CGI? No, the system must work for everybody. The system is tamper-proof. It is integrated into all security watch lists in the world. Once you apply, it first goes through it, and before, it will approve you.

Is the e-visa meant for everybody who intends to come to Nigeria?

The e-visa is for all countries. It is for all nationalities and is based on security advice. I wouldn’t say more than that because there are certain things we won’t be able to say. As I told you, e-visa is for border and migration control solutions, as well as an instrument of foreign direct investment. Investors want to come to Nigeria. Do you know the pain when somebody wants to come to Nigeria for a week and a business meeting? For a week, even three days, he must move from one place to another. Looking for who to call the Minister of Interior and who can call the CGI just because you want to come to Nigeria. When discussing the Renewed Hope Agenda, we do not discuss renewed hopelessness. Renewed hope is not just about rhetoric. Renewed hope is about business unusual. It is to partner with people interested in developing this great country we call home.

There is a card that the Immigration office gives you when you land; is it still applicable?

It is part of the reforms. We can no longer be given paper cards in the 24th century. What we have done is digitalise and automate it. We are talking of embarkation—the landing cards. Before you come to Nigeria, go online to the immigration website. Everything is intact. Everything is entwined.

Do you use a landing card to control Immigration, or do you do that in other countries?

You do it in so many countries. Immigration is a creation of an established law and statutes, and you have your embarkation in that law. You have the purpose of data management. Again, you will also understand that it is a migration management solution. It doesn’t take you more than two minutes. Now, we cannot be given papers again because, in the next five years or 10 years, the government might need data for somebody who came in. We cannot look at physical archives, the person’s landing card, or declaration. Once it is electronics, you can pull it out anytime you want it.

Isn’t the database sufficient once one swaps one’s passport outside the country?

Our database is sufficient for that. But, like I said, it is a migration management solution. For instance, if you are going to Singapore, you fill online. Even European visa-free countries are now bringing what we call the ETA; it is not only for Nigeria. Even for Schengen countries. For America and lots of countries. You cannot be too careful when it comes to caution. You must understand that irregular migration is one of the biggest security threats. I wouldn’t want us to go too deep because we would have been entering the real security issues.

What can you say about the expatriate system today, we have seen occasions where jobs that can be done by Nigerians are given to them, yet we keep encouraging that style of patronage. Do you have a different perspective on this?

We recently met with the Employers Consultative Association (ECA) regarding the expatriate administration system. We met with MAN, NACCIMA, and a couple of other bodies. Nigeria must protect the image of this country we call home. This is our only home; long after we leave government, it will remain ours. It is our inheritance that we will also go for our children. So, the central issue you need to ask is why we had the abuse that we had. I will tell you. We had a scenario where we had about 12 different solutions working in silos and not communicating. For example, the Ministry of Interior issues business permits and quotas. A business permit is the prerequisite for ranking a quota. Quota is the prerequisite for the issuance of a work permit. The Ministry of Interior issues permits and quotas, but the Immigration Service also issues quotas. When President Bola Tinubu came, we had a system where Immigration would know the quota that the Ministry had issued. There is no way the Ministry will see the number the Immigration has issued. We saw a lot of circumvention of the system, which is why we came up with an expatriate administration system. This expatriate administration system means the Ministry and the agency can speak through one platform. It is impossible to apply for a quota that we have not granted. If we issue you a 50 quota, Immigration will know you cannot get more than 50 Combined Expatriate Residence Permits and Aliens Cards (CERPAC). So, we have solved that problem with ease. Another problem that we have solved is this: I cannot imagine if Nigerians use taxpayers’ money to repatriate expatriates, and it runs against our immigration laws, and it shouldn’t be. Because expatriates, by our immigration laws, are supposed to provide bonds or whatever is needed to cover their costs. We were budgeting for that and spending lots of money.