Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
Nigeria has launched a new visa policy tagged, NVP 2020, with a view to boost the country’s economy through the ease of doing business.
President Muhammadu Buhari presented the document to the public on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
President Buhari highlighted the importance of the document towards protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation.
“This is an important policy document which seeks to complement our efforts towards protecting our national identity and the defence of our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Earlier in the course of this administration, we introduced the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017-2020, with one of the objectives being to minimise bottlenecks which impede innovation and market-based solutions for building an inclusive economy,” he said.
Boosting Inventive Skills
The Nigerian leader said the policy would help in boosting the inventive skills of Nigerians as well as provide more opportunities for businessmen coming into the country.
“The Nigerian visa policy 2020 is intended to attract innovation, specialised skills and knowledge form abroad to compliment locally available ones.
“I am confident that the implementation of the Nigerian visa policy 2020 will support the attainment of a globally competitive economy for Nigeria by building on the efforts of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council.
“The policy is expected to improve the business environment, attract foreign direct investments and boost tourism without compromising national security,” he said.
Enhance Integration
The Nigerian leader said the policy would further enhance integration among African nations, through the provision of visas for short visit by citizens of various countries.
“This Nigerian visa policy 2020 provides an avenue to achieve African integration by the introduction of visas on arrival, for short visits to Nigeria for holders of passports of African Union countries. I therefore recommend the document to the international community, foreign and local business entities. We are often pro-business,” the President stated.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola said it was a unique and historic day for Nigeria, as the document would reflect some of the conditions and restrictions to the entry and exit of foreign nationals to Nigeria.
He said the document would help attain Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan introduced by the Buhari administration.
“It is significant to note that the Nigeria visa policy NVP 2020 aims at supporting the attainment of the national Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017-2020 and this we have synthesised at our own level to simply mean security, economy and transparency.
“The operationalisation of this is cardinal to the ease of doing business in Nigeria, boosting tourism and expanding opportunities to meaningfully apply the principle of reciprocity in visa policy in our bilateral and multi-lateral relations,” he said.
Special Visas
The Minister said the NVP 2020 introduces special visas for diaspora Nigerians by birth; with dual citizenship, to enable them make use of the passports of other nationalities to visit Nigeria.
The Comptroller General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede said the service had already put in place a technological hub, called the Migrants Information and Data Analysis MIDAS, to ensure strict compliance with the conditions for the issuance of the visa.
Babandede assured that issues of corruption or bribery would be controlled by the automated system, while allaying fears of possible infiltration of the economy by criminals and terrorists.
He said the new policy has 79 categories, which include health, education, tourism etc, pointing out that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, National Intelligence Agency, NIA and the Interpol also made inputs into the system, and would be carried along in the processing before approvals
