THE Federal Government has announced that it will officially launch an electronic visa (e-visa) system on May 1, 2025, as part of ongoing efforts to modernise the country’s immigration process.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced this on Wednesday during a joint press briefing with the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The ministers, in separate statements on Thursday, April 10, said the initiative will see the digitalisation of landing and exit cards at Nigeria’s international airports.
Keyamo said the intervention would be carried out by the Ministry of Aviation as well as the Ministry of Interior.
“In continuation of the series of collaborative efforts both Ministries have made since the inception of this administration, earlier today, I held a joint Press briefing with my brother, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and our teams from our agencies.
“We announced plans to launch the e-visa system and also to digitalise the landing and exit cards at our international airports. We also set up a joint team to work on the protocols that will be transmitted to airlines in this respect for strict compliance,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo, in a separate statement, confirmed that the e-visa system rollout is scheduled for May 1. He described the development as a testament to the benefits of inter-ministerial cooperation.
“Aside from demonstrating inter-ministerial collaboration, we showed the possibilities of re-engineering processes for optimal success, even as independent government bodies in an endless pursuit of excellence,” the minister said.
“During the session, we explained how the newly automated landing and exit card will enhance processes as well as help the government in areas of documentation and intelligence gathering of foreigners in and out of the country.”
The Minister of Interior also applauded the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for partnering with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to support the initiative.
He further expressed appreciation to Minister Keyamo for his role in making the collaboration possible.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M