The Federal Government has processed over 14,000 electronic visa (e-Visa) applications within the first six weeks of launching the new digital platform, signalling a major step forward in Nigeria’s drive to modernise its immigration system and attract global investment.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this in Abuja during a stakeholders’ sensitisation session on Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) reforms aimed at easing international passenger travel.
“I can tell you that within the first six weeks of the e-Visa, we were able to process over 14,000 visa applications,” Tunji-Ojo stated. “By any standard in the world, that is a pass mark. It is a huge one.”
He said the performance validates the Federal Government’s commitment to innovation and ease of doing business while maintaining national security.
The new visa regime, introduced earlier this year, allows foreign nationals to apply for Nigerian visas entirely online—uploading documents, paying fees, and receiving approvals without visiting an embassy or immigration office.
“This is about ending the culture of lobbying and connection-based visa approvals. When someone needs a visa and all they’re thinking is ‘who knows the minister or CG Immigration,’ that is not how to grow a country,” Tunji-Ojo noted. “You must make it easy without compromising security.”
He said work was still ongoing to fine-tune the platform, but added that issues encountered by some users would be fully resolved “within one or two weeks.”
According to the minister, the e-Visa system is part of a broader effort to eliminate bottlenecks and enhance transparency across immigration services. He also revealed that other digital platforms, including the electronic Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (e-CERPAC) and the digitised Temporary Work Permit (TWP), would go live within days.
“That era when people came on TWP and kept renewing it repeatedly to bypass the system is over,” he said. “The system is now automated and monitored.”
Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, echoed the minister’s remarks, saying the e-Visa system represents a new phase in service delivery.
“The e-Visa Application Channel enables seamless online visa processing, eliminating the need for physical visits to immigration offices,” she said. “We have also introduced digital solutions like landing and exit cards, electronic CERPAC, and e-Gates at major airports.”
She added that these innovations are helping to simplify procedures for travellers and foreign investors, while improving security and oversight.
With the introduction of the e-Visa platform and ongoing reforms, the Federal Government says it hopes to rebrand Nigeria as a competitive destination for international business and tourism, backed by a secure, transparent, and efficient immigration system.
