FG Threatens Visa Ban To Foreigners, Says Nigeria Not Dumping Ground

The federal government has revealed that it will be adopting the principle of reciprocity in the issuance of visas to foreigners. 

The Nigerian Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo made the announcement at the Business Day Conference on Thursday, 19th of October, 2023.

Ojo said the federal government will henceforth treat foreigners seeking Nigerian visas the way Nigerians are treated in their respective countries.

He said; 

“The credibility of performance of every government has to be based only on the evaluation of how the government handles the weakest in the society. The essence of government is not just to protect the strong but to make up and amplify the needs of the weak.

“I always said this, my father didn’t give me the Nigeria of my dream. Yes, but that is not an excuse for me not to give my children the Nigeria of their dreams.

“It means the responsibility of transition from where we are to where we want to be, cannot forever be laid at the doorsteps of yesteryears, it has to be laid on our own doorstep.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), the director of the centre for Illegal Migration in Turkey, came to my office. And I told him that in the next couple of weeks, expect reciprocity in terms of travel policy.

“Any country that does not give me the visa on arrival cannot have a visa on arrival in Nigeria. I’m sorry but it is the truth. We’re not a dumping ground. If you say you are useful, people will see you as being useful.

“But if you tell people you are useless, people will tell you why are you this useless. We want to partner with you and so on the table, we must be partners, we must be equal partners and our relationship of investment must be on the basis of the principle of reciprocity.

“So we are doing that to all the countries in the world. The committee is working. I will receive the report tomorrow, you charge me $100 for a visa, I will charge you $100 for a Nigerian visa.

“If you give me a visa on arrival, I will give it to you. If you say the condition for me to enter your country today is that I must have an American visa, Schengen visa, UK visa etc, you will have the same conditions to enter my country.” [CONTINUE READING HERE]>>>>