Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has unveiled 21 major policy initiatives of his administration after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting he presided over on Tuesday.
According to the President’s Adviser on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, some of tie listed initiatives include a 48-hour visa policy, cancelling of airport toll payment exemption for very important persons and a ban on sand dredging 10 kilometres from all federal bridges throughout the country among others.
Onanuga who posted the resolutions of the FEC on his official X handle, said the marathon meeting which started on Monday, was concluded on Tuesday, describing it as unprecedented in the history of the council.
“After exhaustive deliberations, the council approved several policies and projects that would further boost the economy, facilitate investments and promote the ease of doing business in the country,” the presidential aide said.
Also briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting at Aso Rock Villa, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the government was reviewing its visa regime to enable persons who wish to invest in Nigeria to obtain a visa within 48 hours, adding that the move was aimed at encouraging investors and tourists.
According to him, the visa policy review is necessary to foster ease of doing business on Nigerian soil.
“The Federal Executive Council has noted that our visa processes are becoming cumbersome and this is not encouraging investors to come in easily because, as the President has indicated, the ease of doing business is also tied to the ease of visa application,” Idris said.
“Therefore, the FEC has set up a committee to look at our visa processes to reduce the cumbersome nature of these visa processes, meaning that those investors or tourists who want to come into Nigeria will find it a lot easier to go into this country provided they follow all the laid down processes.
“This includes the e-visa platform, which has already been discussed. The Federal Government is also mulling the idea of every visa application being processed within the next 48 hours.”
“Nigeria’s e-visa process is part of a broader effort to streamline and modernise the country’s visa system, as outlined in the Nigeria Visa Policy (NVP) 2020.
“The e-visa system allows visiting non-Nigerians to apply online. Applicants must complete an electronic application form, upload necessary documents, and pay the required fees.
“Such e-visas available include the Short Visit Visa for business, which allows for a maximum stay of 90 days, and various investor visas that cater to different scales of investment from small to ultra-large enterprises.