The Federal Government has announced that all visa applications will transition to an online platform by March 1, 2025.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, during a live session on ‘X Spaces’ hosted by social media influencer Dr. Segun Awosanya on Monday.
Dr. Tunji-Ojo highlighted the strides made by the current administration in reforming the visa approval process, including the establishment of a centralised visa approval centre.
According to him, the new system aims to enhance national security, curb corruption, and ensure uniformity in the visa application process.
“The visa approval centre is also an achievement for this administration because we now have a centralised visa approval centre.
This will stem corruption, ensure national security, and merge the visa regime to ensure uniformity,” he stated.
He also reiterated the government’s commitment to leveraging technology to streamline immigration services. “Before March 1st, all visa application systems will be online to ensure proper vetting,” he added.
The minister further revealed that the government has established a harmonised 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,” he said.
The centre, he explained, is a significant upgrade from the previous system, which relied on private contractors to store critical national data.
This arrangement violated the Data Protection Act and posed a significant security risk.
“Nigeria cannot proliferate the issuance of its security document because it is a gross violation of due process. We decided to find a lasting solution to that by promising Nigerians a 1.4-petabyte data centre but ended up delivering an 8.3-petabyte data centre—one of the largest in the world,” Dr. Tunji-Ojo added.
The minister emphasised that the reforms will bring Nigeria’s immigration and visa systems in line with global best practices.
By consolidating and harmonising data, the government aims to improve transparency and enhance the efficiency of the immigration process.
With these advancements, the Federal Government is positioning Nigeria as a technologically advanced nation, while ensuring security and accountability in its immigration processes.