By Louis Ibah
In a bid to ease travellers plight and meet the government’s ease of doing business policy, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has launched two new visa issuing centres at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The Immigration Service has also increased the counters at the Lagos International airport from its initial three to eight. Recall that the government, through its Executive Orders issued early in the year, sought to ease the processe and cost of doing business in the country.
The policy also targeted growing foreign direct investment into the country’s aviation and tourism industry. Daily Sun learnt that the government in an attempt to attract more foreign investment had ordered the NIS to create two visa-on-arrival counters at the Lagos airport. So far, about 20,000 visas had been issued at these points to expatriates, tourists, exhibitors, academics, and other visitors to the country following the order.
“The immigration authorities in Abuja ordered that there should be an increase – from one to two – on the number of visa counters at the Lagos airport in order to facilitate movements, particularly by investors into the country and abolish the usual man hour loss due to immigration processes,” an official told Daily Sun .
“Visas are now issued to foreigners on arrival at both E and D wings of the Lagos international airport from its initial D wing while no fewer than 20, 000 visas have been issued at the airport since the policy came on stream in June. Indeed, the issuing of visas on arrival, has reduced the number of foreigners going to the home offices of Nigeria abroad, as many of them now prefer to get their visas on arrival at the command,” the source who pleaded anonymity said.