AREGBESOLA AND VISA ON ARRIVAL POLICY IN NIGERIA

The introduction of Visa on Arrival policy in Nigeria will allow the country to have an influx of Business people and make it a tourist destination. As potential visitors were struggling with our embassies abroad to receive a Visa to Nigeria, such bold step by the government to introduce this new policy will help the country to be very close to the rest of the world. The decision for the introduction of this new policy is part of government’s commitment to promote tourism and attract foreign direct investment in Nigeria

The introduction of Visa on Arrivals policy by the President Buhari led government had shown a clear indication that Nigeria is now more than ever before prepare and ready for investors and tourists to show interest in visiting  this part of Africa and the world at large.

I must commend the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari and Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior to implementing the ‘visa on arrival’ policy for all Africans visiting Nigeria, saying it is a move that will encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country. “The commitment of the President to receive visitors into Nigeria issuing them visa on arrival is a welcome development as it would encourage foreign direct investment. It is the trend today as Kenya has embraced the policy and many nationalists get visa on arrival in Kenya. It helps facilitate businesses and transaction on the continent of Africa, knowing that we need a lot of private sector investment, particularly Foreign Direct Investment.”

The Federal Government has concluded plans to introduce a new visa regime to address insecurity and enhance economic growth in the country by increasing Foreign Direct Investment. The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, said the new electronic visa would be unveiled by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, before the end of the year.

Babandede said, “We have been operating with visas that did not target our economic growth; that does not look at our security situation, and that is not very transparent.

“I assure you, it (new e-visa) will be transparent, it will remove cash payment and ensure no security is compromised. It’s a balance between facilitation and transparency and protection of national security.”
The Federal Government is set to remove cash payment for Nigerian visa applications, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Comptroller General (CGI), Mr Muhammad Babandede, has said. He said it was part of Federal Government’s plans to introduce a new visa regime to boost the economy. According to him, the regime would put Nigeria in line with global best practices, adding that the system would be transparent and secure.
He said: “The e-visa policy will encourage investors to Nigeria thereby generating Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for Nigeria and making Nigeria a most preferred destination through transparency in administration and facilitation of facilities by service.

“I assure you that it will be transparent and we will remove cash payment and ensure no security is compromised. “It is a balance between facilitation, transparency and protection of national security.”
Babandede assured that the service would deliver on its mandate by enhancing efficient border security and migration management to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture in 2020. He commended the team which was recognised for developing software for officers to take e- examinations. The CGI  added: “As you are aware, we are a regimented institution. We have done all we can in 2019 by dismissing officers for corruption, absenteeism, reduction of ranks of officers and investigating those who took money from applicants or ordinary Nigerians illegally.
I must commend the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari and Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior to implementing the Biometric visa which is an improved security on the current vignette visa. The new biometric visa in Nigeria will assist our national security and assist in combating transnational organized crime. It conforms with international migration management. This provision and service is not limited to Tokyo Japan; Nigeria has opened another e-passport & biometric visa facilities in our Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, bringing to a total of 44 foreign missions, 43 local & 4 front offices where NIS issues passports to our citizens.

The Federal Government of Nigeria recently launched electronic passport and biometric visa issuance facility for Nigerians in Diaspora. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has commissioned two more passport and biometric visa facilities in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea. Recently Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior commissioned the Migration Information Data Analysis System (MIDAS) Installation at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja. MIDAS is a significant IT solution that will enhance migration and data sharing capability within the Air border framework in Nigeria. The installation underscores Nigeria’s commitment to a robust migration management.

The project is a product of collaborative efforts between the Nigeria Immigration Service and some development partners. I sincerely appreciate the supports from the Danish Government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

IOM supports States and government agencies to shape proactive migration policies through improved migration data collection and management. Well-designed border management information systems can tremendously boost the ability of States to manage their borders and to develop evidence-based migration policies. IOM has developed its own Border Management Information System, called the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS), a  high-quality, affordable system that can collect, process and record information for the purpose of identification of travelers, data collection and analysis. MIDAS is improving access to such technologies for States with limited resources; as such, it provides modular systems at affordable cost and solicits funding from interested donors.

In order to support governments to meet today’s complex migration and border management challenges, the Immigration and Border Management (IBM) Team at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has developed a border management information system: the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS).
MIDAS has been designed for States with little or inadequate data capture systems in order to give them the operational means to manage migration. Compliant with international standards, MIDAS is a high-quality, affordable system, suitable for installation also in remote areas. MIDAS is a significant IT solution that will enhance migration and data sharing capability within the Air border framework in Nigeria. The installation underscores Nigeria’s commitment to a robust migration management.
The project is a product of collaborative efforts between the Nigeria Immigration Service and some development partners. I sincerely appreciate the supports from the Danish Government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). I also commend the Nigeria Immigration Service for its dynamic role towards enhancing national security.

Comprehensive border management requires that all of the applicable authorities work together effectively and efficiently. Cooperation should not concern just that country itself, but rather should transcend its borders and include the relevant institutions in the neighboring countries. Comprehensive border management seeks to cover three areas of cooperation and coordination: between services, inter-institutional, and international.

The underlying concept in the frameworks of comprehensive border management is the one-stop border station. Although the name is new, this concept has been implemented in different ways in many regions, and basically implies infrastructure that is physically shared, in which customs and border services of neighboring countries work hand-in-hand.