Federal Government to Transition All Visa Applications Online by March 1
The Federal Government has announced that by March 1, 2025, all visa applications will be processed exclusively online as part of efforts to streamline the system, enhance security, and curb corruption.
This update was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, during a session on X Spaces, hosted by social commentator Dr. Segun Awosanya, on Monday.
Centralised Visa Approval Centre Introduced
Dr. Tunji-Ojo highlighted the creation of a centralised visa approval centre, which has consolidated visa processing to ensure uniformity, efficiency, and national security.
“This is a major milestone for this administration. With the centralised visa approval centre, we have eliminated inconsistencies in the visa regime, improved security, and significantly reduced corruption. By March 1, all visa applications will be fully digitised, ensuring thorough vetting,” he stated.
Advanced Data Centre for Immigration Services
The minister also reaffirmed the establishment of a harmonised data centre housed at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC) within the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Sauka, Abuja.
He described the centre as one of the most advanced in Nigeria’s history, boasting an 8.3-petabyte storage capacity—a significant upgrade from the initial 1.4-petabyte target.
According to him, before this initiative, NIS lacked a dedicated data centre, resulting in sensitive national data being stored by private contractors, which violated the Data Protection Act.
“Nigeria cannot afford to compromise the integrity of its security documents. This was a serious breach of due process. To resolve this, we committed to building a 1.4-petabyte data centre, but we ultimately delivered an 8.3-petabyte facility—one of the largest globally,” he explained.
With these developments, the Federal Government aims to modernise visa processing, strengthen national security, and establish Nigeria’s immigration services as one of the most technologically advanced in the world.
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