New Nigerian visa policy timely and commendable

Worldwide, it has come to be accepted that issuance of visa by a country to citizens of another country is based on the principle of reciprocity. It is one that is used to measure the extent of relationship between two nations. It follows that countries issue visa based on the conditions applied by the government […]

Worldwide, it has come to be accepted that issuance of visa by a country to citizens of another country is based on the principle of reciprocity. It is one that is used to measure the extent of relationship between two nations.

It follows that countries issue visa based on the conditions applied by the government of the country of the applicant. Where the country has stringent conditions on citizens of country ‘A’ applying for a visa, it should expect a similar treatment of its citizens as part of the principle of reciprocity.

But in the case of Nigerians applying for visa to travel, it seems that principle of reciprocity is absent in many of  the countries

In fact, it is safe to say Nigeria’s visa policy lacks reciprocity, fairness and consistency in execution which tends to undermine the country’s global standing and erode the dignity of its citizens.

Nigeria grants electronic visas (eVisas) to citizens of European Union countries and to South American nations like Brazil and Chile which allows them easy entry into the country, but Nigerian passport holders to these and many other countries often face difficult and demeaning visa procedures to visit these countries.

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Countries like Turkey with which Nigeria maintains excellent relations used to grant eVisas to Nigerians with valid visas to EU, UK and US visas have now introduced stringent visa application processes on Nigerians while Nigeria continues to issue eVisas to Turkish citizens.

We can also recall that the United Arab Emirates, a popular destination for trade and tourism for Nigerians, introduced very difficult visa conditions for Nigerians effectively shutting out many of our citizens from visiting that country.  Even with intervention at the highest level, Nigerians still face herculean task to obtain a visa to the country.

In all, this reflects a contradiction and diminution on our prominent status in Africa for which we are expected to lead in the efforts towards fostering trade and cultural relation and integration on the continent. It also indicates a lack of self-respect which exposes the country and its citizens.

It is unacceptable that countries that are recipients of Nigeria’s liberal visa policies should not reciprocate our gestures. It is also unacceptable that even with the stringent conditions for visa applications which Nigerians strive to meet, most applications are not granted despite the costs in finance and time incurred in meeting the conditions. As a result, many intending Nigerian visa applicants have lost often fortunes in visa processing fees and business opportunities.

We at Daily Trust recognise that some countries took these measures because of the negative activities of few Nigerians. But negative as these developments are, we believe that they do not constitute enough reason to subject Nigerians to undue hardship in their legitimate desires to travel abroad. We believe the underlying reason for the negative treatment of Nigerian visa applicants has to do with unjust profiling and prejudices against Nigerians generally. This is unjustifiable because in the main, Nigerians are astute business men and women and contribute a lot positively to the progress of the countries they visit and reside in. This has been proven by independent reports and surveys carried in international mainstream media.

We therefore welcome and support a statement by the Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo on the need to overhaul Nigeria’s visa policies.

The minister was quoted recently as saying that the days of giving international visitors a free pass when applying for Nigerian visas were gone and that the government would start operating under a ‘’give and take model’’ henceforth.  ‘’Any country that does not give me the visa on arrival cannot have a visa on arrival in Nigeria….We are not a dumping ground. We want to partner with you and our investment relationship must be based on the principle of reciprocity,’’ the minister had said.

Accordingly, we believe the remarks by the Minister of Interior on this subject are both timely and commendable. Nigerians are a high-travelling people and this can be attested to by the full plane loads departing from Nigeria to all points of the compass. And due to the proven resourcefulness of Nigerians, their services and presence are in high demand across the world. This is also coupled with the fact of the sizeable number of the Nigerian diaspora in some of the prominent countries of the world.

We totally endorse the new policy of reciprocity in visa issuance as announced by the minister. The principle of reciprocity is after all one of the cornerstones of relations between countries. Nigeria is within its rights to demand that those who wish to do business with us or seek to enter our country, must also grant us commensurate access to their countries. A situation where we generously and liberally grant easy entry into our country to nationals from other countries without the same granted us must not be allowed to continue.