Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) on Monday dismissed trending report on issuance of ‘visa on arrival’ for Africans by the Federal Government.
Sunday James, NIS Public Relations Officer, clarified this while reacting to facebook and tweeter posting, via a statement issued in Abuja.
“The attention of the Comptroller General of Immigration Muhammad Babandede MFR has been drawn to a recently circulated publication on Visa Policy tagged ‘Visa on Arrival’ Issuance for Africans Credited to the African Union (AU) in a facebook post and tweeter which has drawn diverse commentaries from the public.
“As the Federal Government of Nigeria’s lead and foremost agency saddled with the responsibility for the regulation and enforcement of migration laws of the country, the Nigeria Immigration Service states clearly that; no such decision was in place, it is an unconfirmed and yet to be considered policy of the government of Nigeria.
“Though the AU has advocated for a ‘Single African Passport’ aimed at improving Intra-African trade and relations and has called for the abolition of Visa requirements for all African Citizens in the years to come ‘as a follow-up to the 2016 electronic African Union Passport launched and issued to heads of State and governments’. It does not culminate into ‘Free movement on the continent without Visa in a Visa free regimes which may include Visa on Arrival at Ports of entry for Africans’ as suggested by the post.
“In view of the foregoing, the Nigeria Immigration Service hereby emphasizes and advises the general public to ignore the facebook post or other online post in line of the purported AU ‘Visa on Arrival’, which is neither an approved Visa Policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria nor agreement signed for implementation.
“Nigeria Immigration Service will always communicate any approved government policy on Visa Issues to the public through credible and recognized means and medium at any given time,” the NIS spokesman said.
