…To Replace It With Landing And Exit Card
The President, Bola Tinubu led administration has revealed its intention to abolish the Visa-on -Arrival policy.
The planned abolition of the Visa-on Arrival Policy is coming six years after it was introduced by the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, yesterday, Friday February 21,2025 during the concluding ceremony of a weeklong training Programme 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.
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.
Speaking on the issue, 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 highlighted the importance of integrating the immigration data centre to facilitate cohesive solutions for migration-related decisions affecting Nigeria.
This integration, the Minister explained, would prevent approvals from being granted without the necessary clearances from Interpol, the criminal records system, and other background-checking agencies in real time.
According to him, “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,” he added.
Speaking further, the Minister said, “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.”
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