Egyptians, South Africans Abuse Nigeria’s Visa Regime – Immigration Comptroller General Mohammed Babandede
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mohammed Babandede says Egyptian and South African Nationals are among the highest number of visitors to Nigeria who abuse the country’s temporary visitors’ visa.
At a webinar organized by the Immigration Service to examine the automation of temporary work permit in Nigeria, Babandede said that Egyptian and South African Nationals enter Nigeria using visitor’s visa but slip into the society to open and operate trading business.
He warned that the immigration service would henceforth bring the full weight of the law on such fraudulent practice.
The immigration boss said that Nigeria issuance of visa on arrival for African nationals has been automated to the point that interface between immigration officials has almost been eliminated .
He explained that all documentation for both visa and temporary work permit can now be done online and approvals especially for work permit can be obtained within forty-eight hours.
Also speaking at the webinar, the Comptroller in-charge of temporary work permit Joachim Olumba said that the automation of the process of obtaining temporary work permit has eliminated human contact and corruption.
He regretted that many immigration officers, who unfortunately process over 80 percent of work permit requests as agents, are not happy with the automation process.
The Immigration Service webinar was to assess the automation of temporary work permit processing and how it protects the interests of all stakeholders without compromising national security and immigration interests.
