Tinubu Govt Announces Plan To Cancel Visa-On-Arrival Policy

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government has announced its intention to abolish the visa-on-arrival policy.

This declaration was made on Friday, February 21, by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, during the concluding ceremony of a weeklong training program aimed at enhancing the capabilities of personnel from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

This training initiative is part of the NIS’s efforts to ensure proper documentation of all individuals entering the country.

Naija News recalls that the visa-on-arrival policy was implemented by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020, allowing for short-term visas to be issued upon arrival.

Tunji-Ojo stated that the Federal Government plans to replace the visa-on-arrival policy with the introduction of landing and exit cards, which visitors will be required to complete prior to their arrival in Nigeria.

He underscored the importance of integrating the immigration data centre to facilitate cohesive solutions for migration-related decisions affecting Nigeria.

Furthermore, he clarified that this integration would prevent approvals from being granted without the necessary clearances from Interpol, the criminal records system, and other background-checking agencies in real time.

“Security is not a sector where you can afford to be 99.9 per cent correct. You just have to be 100 per cent. 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,” Tunji-Ojo.