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..Nabs Foreigners On Interpol Watchlist
The Federal Government through the Ministries of Interior and Aviation and Aerospace Development has set May 1st for commencement of enforcement of E-Visa, landing and exit card automation policy in the country.
Both Ministers, that of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo made the disclosure on Wednesday at a Joint Inter-ministerial press conference in Abuja, noting that their collaboration especially on the Advanced Passenger Information System and E-gate solution have led to the arrest of some foreigners on the blacklist and handed over to the Interpol.
Giving clarification, Ojo-Olujimi who was full of appreciation to the Ministry of Aviation said both ministries have agreed to set up an inter-ministerial mini team to ensure the success of the E-Visa, landing and exit card automation solution.
"The program starts on the 1st of May, 2025, and we also decided that there will be three months' amnesty period for the full massive enforcement and implementation starts on the 1st.
"So there will be amnesty so that all foreigners that have visa overstays or people in breach of immigration laws can actually come up for regularization and for them to present themselves at the immigration offices to be able to regularize.
"After the AP solution, we came again with the issue of the E-Gate, and we thank FAAN, our landlord, for the support. And today, all our terminals in Lagos and the Abuja airport, have our E-Gate installed and working fine and giving Nigerians comfort and also securing our border the more. Now, after the E-Gate, the third leg is why we are here today, which is with regards to the E-Visa and the introduction of the automated landing and exit card.
"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. But we say 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."
Speaking further, he explained that the landing and exit card which are free will be filled online before boarding and presented to airlines before you can be boarded.
"Outside that, we will also be introducing some other measures which later on we will be able to explain more explicitly. So we have also agreed that the E-Visa will make it easier for people to come into Nigeria by enhancing the security of our country. Of course, applications will be online.
"There is a centralized visa approval centre already at Nigera Immigration Headquarters. Officers have been trained, well-equipped, and solution-integrated to all major criminal record systems in the world, Interpol and the rest. And of course, there will be better background check in terms of people coming into Nigeria."
"We are also looking at removing bottlenecks and also making sure people can get visas to Nigeria without lobbying anybody to come into Nigeria. We want to open our borders without compromising national security for people to come and explore the beauty of the land called Nigeria," he stated.
On his part, Keyamo assured that the automation will be seamless.
"What the entry and exit card mean, and what my brother is saying, is that as you are coming into the country, you have filled an entry card online. It's automated. So that within the system, once they put your passport number, the details come up immediately, of when you entered, the type of visa by which you entered, the length of time you were stamped in.
"The system knows it already, pulls it out, and goes. Now as you are going out of the country, the first place you approach when you want to go out of the country is the boarding desk of an airline, of a private airline. That is where the NCA comes in.
"On l traveling back to your country as a foreigner, they will say, where is your exit card? That is the first thing they want. They won't give you a boarding pass to go on board. It is at that time, when you have filled your exit card, and you punch in your passport number, that the details will come up, as to when did this person enter the country? Where were you stamped in? For how long were you stamped? So once it shows there that you have overstayed, the airline, by the protocol the NCAA will give, will refuse to board you, and refer you to immigration.
"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 collaborate, and we have been doing this seamlessly," he stated.