The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that by March 1, all visa applications will transition to a fully online system.
Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo shared this during a live session on ‘X Spaces’ hosted by influencer Dr. Segun Awosanya, highlighting the strides to centralize and streamline Nigeria’s visa processes.
Tunji-Ojo unveiled a centralized visa approval center to enhance uniformity, curb corruption, and bolster national security. “This initiative is a game-changer,” he remarked, emphasizing its role in eliminating loopholes that foster fraud and inefficiency.
“This will stem corruption, ensure national security, and merge the visa regime to ensure uniformity. Before March 1, all visa application systems will be online to ensure proper vetting,” he stated.
Adding to these technological milestones, the minister revealed the establishment of an 8.3-petabyte data center at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC), domiciled at the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Sauka, Abuja, positioning Nigeria among global leaders in data security and innovation.
“We were able to build one of the biggest data centers in the history of Nigeria, the 8.3-petabyte center. Before then, we had an issue because we inherited a Nigeria Immigration Service with no data center, where the data of Nigerians was obviously being saved in private capacities with various contractors, which was a gross contravention of the Data Protection Act.
“Nigeria cannot proliferate the issuance of its security document because it is a gross violation of due process, and so, we decided to find a lasting solution to that, and we started by promising Nigerians a 1.4-petabyte data center, but we ended up delivering an 8.3-petabyte data center—one of the largest in the world,” the minister remarked.
Comment, Like 👍, share this article, and Follow us on our social media handles.