THE Federal Government has announced plans to discontinue the visa-on-arrival policy.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this during the closing ceremony of a weeklong capacity-building training for Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) personnel.
The training is part of efforts to enhance the documentation of visitors entering the country.
Introduced in 2020 under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the visa-on-arrival policy allows short-term visitors to obtain visas at the point of entry.
Tunji-Ojo revealed that the government would replace this system with landing and exit cards, which travelers will complete before arrival.
He stressed the importance of integrating immigration data to ensure that migration-related decisions align with security protocols. This includes real-time clearance from Interpol, criminal record databases, and other background-checking agencies.
“Security requires absolute accuracy—99.9 percent is not enough. Decisions must be made based on objectivity, not subjectivity,” he stated.
The minister emphasized that the visa-on-arrival system is ineffective, as authorities should be aware of visitors before they enter the country.
“It doesn’t happen anywhere. We are also introducing digital landing and exit cards to replace the current manual process. This is 2025, not 1825—technology must take its place,” he added.