FG to Digitize Visa Applications by March 1
- launches centralized approval system
As part of efforts to streamline the visa process and enhance national security, the federal government has announced that all visa applications will be processed exclusively online by March 1.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, during a session on ‘X Spaces’ hosted by influencer Dr. Segun Awosanya.
According to the minister, a centralized visa approval centre has been established to unify the visa regime, reduce corruption, and improve security measures.
“The visa approval centre is also an achievement for this administration because we also now have a centralized visa approval centre.
“This will stem corruption, ensure national security, and merge the visa regime to ensure uniformity. Before March 1st, all visa application systems will be online to ensure proper vetting”, he stated.
Dr. Tunji-Ojo also highlighted the establishment of a harmonized data centre at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC), located at the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Sauka, Abuja.
“We were able to build one of the biggest data centres in the history of Nigeria, which is the 8.3 petabyte centre. Before then, we had an issue, because we inherited a Nigeria Immigration Service that had no data centre, where the data of Nigerians were obviously being saved in private capacities with various contractors, and that was a gross contravention of the Data Protection Act.
“Nigeria cannot proliferate the issuance of its security document because it is a gross violation of due process and so, we decided to find a lasting solution to that, and we started by promising Nigerians a 1.4-petabyte data centre, but we ended up delivering an 8.3-petabyte data centre – one of the largest in the world”.
The minister noted that the new centralized system is a step toward ensuring the integrity of Nigeria’s security documentation, reinforcing due process, and safeguarding sensitive information.
