Nigeria’s government announced it would end its visa-on-arrival policy, citing security risks and calling the current system “unsustainable.”
Interior Minister Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo made this announcement during a graduation ceremony in Abuja. The event celebrated 100 immigration officers who completed special training in using passenger data for national security.
“Of course, that will lead to the cancellation of the visa-on-arrival process because visa-on-arrival, we understand, is not a system that works,” Tunji-Ojo said. “I don’t expect you to just come to my country without me knowing you’re coming in. No, it’s never done anywhere.”
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The new system will require travellers to get clearance before arriving in Nigeria. This includes checks through Interpol and criminal record systems. The government also planned to extend these security measures to land borders, as officials noticed people were bypassing airport security by entering through these routes.
“When it comes to security,” Tunji-Ojo explained, “life will never remember us for the 99 per cent we get right. History will remember us for the 1 per cent we do wrong. And security is not a sector where you can afford to be 99.9 per cent accurate. It just has to be 100 per cent.”
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