Coalition tackles Immigration over lack of consultation, poor takeoff

The Federal Government, yesterday, unveiled a visa application travel policy to eliminate identity card fraud and unauthorised third-party agents.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Ministry of Interior have come under criticism over their alleged lack of due consultations with relevant stakeholders before the commencement of the e-visa and e-CERPAC regime.

The travel policy, which deploys technology, is run by Afaar.ng, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to vet Nigerians applying for visas so as to address anomalies.

It is also expected to address the issue of visa application refunds for unsuccessful applicants.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the policy was part of the efforts to remove all encumbrances faced by Nigerians seeking visas and, at the same time, ensure that people with questionable records are put under checks.

Tuggar said the process would be a win-win for the countries, as the process is kick-starting with the Gulf and Arab nations before extending to European and other countries.

He spoke while unveiling the platform before ambassadors from some Gulf-Arab nations in Abuja. The envoys asked that correspondence to that effect be made to their home countries for approval.

The policy, the Minister said, aims at eliminating identity fraud and ensuring that only genuine vetted applicants are issued visas. He added that with the buy-in of the concerned countries, the policy would also discourage the use of unauthorised third-party agents, who pose a grave national and international security risk.

He said: “This policy, which employs full inter-agency backing, has three core objectives. One, to eliminate identity fraud and ensure that only genuine and vetted Nigerian applicants are issued visas by embassies and high commissions; Two, to discourage the use of unauthorised third-party agents who obtain and handle sensitive personal data outside government oversight, posing a grave national and international risk. Three is to enhance mutual accountability by allowing countries with a destination to verify applicants in real time using Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) as the primary reference point.”

Nigeria is deploying this technology through a verified platform, GIILDSM, operating under the ASPAAR system, which is fully compliant with Nigerian data protection laws and global best practices, he added.

Meanwhile, the Coalition for Ethical Standard Accountability and Good Governance, in a release on Wednesday, noted that despite the digital platforms aimed at transparency and simplifying the immigration process for expatriates, the approach of the agencies was wrong.

The transparency group noted that an all-society approach should have been adopted with all stakeholders’ engagement, buy-in of foreign entities, the investment drivers of the nation’s economy and the international community carried along in the new policies.

National Coordinator of the group, Ebuka Nwachukwu, in a statement, noted that “it is pertinent to echo that migration to digital platform is done hand-in-hand” juxtaposed with the analog facility for a reasonable period and not in a rush.

The statement reads: “The e-Visa and e-CERPAC Regime: Need for Detailed Awareness Campaign and All Stakeholders’ Engagement. The Nigeria Immigration Service under the watch of the Ministry of Interior, must understand that migration from an existing service or product to another in this digital age goes beyond a jingle on a television or advert placement in select newspapers.

“It is an all-society approach, all stakeholders’ engagement and buy-in of foreign entities, the investment drivers of the nation’s economy, the international communities, vital organs of government that have direct dealings with Immigration related matters and most importantly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

The group, however, called on the Federal Government and relevant agencies to extend the amnesty period to give room for a thorough awareness campaign, stakeholders meeting and buy-in of the end users through public hearing and public engagements.