Immigration protocols: E-Visa begins May 1, FG declares

The federal government has revealed that the implementation of its new electronic visa (e-Visa) system will commence on May 1st, 2025.

The Minister of Interior, Tunji Ojo and his Aviation and Aerospace Development counterpart, Festus Keyamo, made the declaration Wednesday in Abuja during a meeting on implementation and enforcement of immigration protocols.

The e-Visa system is expected to streamline the application process for tourists, business travelers, and other eligible visitors seeking entry into Nigeria for short stays.

Keyamo said: “What we are doing here today is a further testament to the determination of this government to foster cooperation between key ministries that have mandates that overlap.

“The Aviation Ministry and the Interior Ministry, from day one, we have decided to cooperate, to collaborate, and we have been doing this seamlessly.

“My brother here, the Minister of Interior, and myself, we have met on several occasions behind the cameras. This is just the first time we decided to do it in front of the cameras. But we have met several times behind the cameras on several issues that were stalled for so many years through successive administrations that could not take off.

“But under this government, these issues have been seamlessly resolved between aviation and interior. Today is another example of that kind of cooperation and collaboration, and this has to do with the introduction of the e-visa. The details will be explained by my brother, the Minister of Interior.

“But we have agreed with our agencies, immigration, NCAA, FAAN, we have agreed to work tirelessly, smoothly on this new initiative.

“We have responsibilities under our belts with this new initiative, and we have agreed to cooperate fully. We have absolutely no objection to this very laudable program that is principally a program of the Minister of Interior,” Keyamo stated.

Responding, Tunji-Ojo, said the online platform would allow applicants to complete their visa forms, upload necessary documents such as passports, return tickets, and hotel reservations, and make secure payments.

He said: “Let me start by appreciating the Honourable Minister of Aviation for all the support. What he said briefly has very serious effect on our national security architecture.

“He spoke about the AP solution, the Advanced Passenger Information System. We collaborated, the two ministries, and today our borders are safer than ever. Secondly, in the last couple of weeks, so many people on Interpol red list, red notice list, have been arrested in Nigeria at the point of entry via the AP solution.

“And today, all our terminals in Lagos and the Abuja airport, we have our E-Gate installed and working fine and giving Nigerians comfort and also securing our border no more.

Ojo further said, “We understand prior to now, we have always had the exit and landing card, but in a manual way, you had to fill a paper form.

“Well, we said Nigeria is a country of 230 million brilliant people and we have to lead the pack when it comes to technology. And in view of that, we are automating that and all this takes effect from the 1st of May, 2025.

“So the landing and exit card will be filled online before you board and presented to airlines before you can be boarded. So that responsibility of coordinating and issuing regulation to the airline, of course, is NCAA.

“And we know, we have agreed today that NCAA, we do that because they are as committed as all of us to the protection of our country, to border security, and to ensure that our sovereignty as a nation is well respected.”

Continuing, Ojo said, “And this should be done within the next one week. Hopefully, it will be concluded before then so that the regulations can be issued to the airlines. And of course, the Landing and Exit Card is free.

“Nobody is paying for that. It’s just for the purpose of our security and record management solution. So the two agencies will work together, come up with a protocol, because this is not a responsibility that NIS alone can do.

“It’s not a responsibility for NCAA alone. So this is an inter-ministerial collaboration. And I think, finally, let me say this, that the story or the scenario played out today, and that has always played out under President Ahmed Tinubu, so with regards to Ministry of Interior, our Ministry of Aviation is what we call inter-ministerial collaboration at its best.”