The Acting Comptroller General (Ag.CG), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs. Carol Wura-Ola Adepoju has vowed to do everything within the statutory mandate of the service to support the economic growth of the country.
The Acting Comptroller General of NIS gave the vow on Thursday during the commissioning of Visa On Arrival (VOA) facilities at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Adepoju who said the Service would not rest on its oars at ensuring that more direct investments are brought into the country, added that the service under her watch is introducing Business Trust Visa (BTV) initiative
“Anything that Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS) can do to support the economic development of Nigeria, we will do. Visa on Arrival is part of our integral efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investments and to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks at facilitating investments into the economy. NIS will take a step further to introduce what is known as Business Trust Visa, an initiative that would guarantee the integrity of would be business partners in Nigeria,” she said.
Acting Comptroller General (Ag.CG), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs. Carol Wura-Ola Adepoju during her visit to Commission the Visa On Arrival Lounge at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos on Thursday.
The Business Trust Visa according to her, would help guide foreign investors on the business integrity of their proposed business partners in Nigeria and prevent them from falling into the hands of fraudulent businessmen.
The Acting CGIS explained further that the process would allow NIS in conjunction with other security agencies in the country to do a thorough security background checks on the proposed partner and be able to inform the would be foreign investors whether the proposed business or partner is genuine or not.
”Because of the prevalence of international crime, especially the ones that are done online, where you have a lot of fictitious business offers, because the foreign investors are afraid, they do not know the caliber of the people they are dealing with, you know sometimes you will need partners here.
”So when they apply for the trust visa, we will partner with security agencies like the Directorate of Security Service (DSS) and others who are entrusted with the security of this country; if you are an investor, you want to come to Nigeria and you want to partner with anyone, we will help you. We will have a dossier, we will have a security report on that person and we will let you know if he/she is a trustworthy person or not and the moment we are able to tell you who the person is, we will guarantee that your investment in partnership with them will be a success,” she explained.
Speaking on the VOA facility, the Ag. CGIS said, it is meant to remove the bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with obtaining a business visa, which will in turn increase the number of foreign investments in Nigeria.
”The improved user experience also increases the appeal of the country as an investment destination encouraging more foreign direct investment. Our records reveal that, in the year 2022, a total number of VOA issued at MMIA was fifty-five thousand, six hundred and forty-four (55, 644). You will agree with me that this number is significant economically, if we consider that they are high-net-worth Individuals (HNWI)”.
”The renovation and expansion of the VOA lounges speak to the commitment of the Service and the Nation to welcoming High Business Network Investors willing to come for business purposes. Lagos being a centre of excellence requires a befitting reception for this caliber of investors”.
”By providing travelers with the convenience of having their visa processed in a comfortable space and in a timely manner upon arrival, the NIS is showing its commitment to ease of doing business and hostmanship, the art of making people welcome, which has become our brand signature”
After her tour of the different desks of the NIS at the old and old terminals of the Lagos International Airport, the Acting CGIS held a brief meeting with men and officers of the Service, urging them to perform their duties as stipulated statutorily.
In his welcome address at the event, Zonal Coordinator NIS, Zone A Headquarters, Lagos, Kayode Sadiq an Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, said, the expansion and facelift of the VOA Lounge was necessitated in further compliance with the Executive Order of the Federal Government on Ease of Doing Business by providing a conducive atmosphere for visa issuance to prospective investors with the creation of a long lasting impression in their minds.
”Today’s gathering serves as a reminder of the importance of collaboration and partnership in achieving our goals. We value the strong relationships we have built with Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
In his address at the occassion, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Manager and South West Airports Regional Manager (FAAN) Mr. Felix Abayomi Akinbinu who said the commissioning of the VOA Lounge was his first major outing since he resumed as the Manager of the Airport as well as the RGM,, highlighted that the synergy, collaboration and team spirit at the Airport are second to none, said the performance of the service at the Airport is commendable. Akinbinu therefore called for continue support for the command from the service Headquarters
In her speech at the event, Comptroller MMIA, Lagos Command, Mrs. Adeola Adesokan and expressed gratitude to the Ag. CGIS for visiting the command to commission the VOA Lounge for enhanced efficiency and effectiveness of the service at the nation’s busiest international airport.
