The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched Asfaar, Nigeria’s first visa application office, which will handle travel requests and combat document fraud.
Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that Asfaar is critical to Nigeria’s sovereignty in its relations with other countries.
Tuggar, accompanied by his special assistant on media and communications strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, addressed in Abuja on Tuesday during the visa processing facility’s press launch and media tour.
A number of visa service providers operate in Nigeria, including French-owned TLScontact and VFS Global, which are headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“Before now, one of the major issues that countries have with Nigeria is the sanctity and integrity of its data,” the minister said.
“So what they usually say is that ‘We’re not sure whether its your country, people have fake passports, people are traveling on data of other countries to come to our countries’. These are some of the issues that Nigeria has been facing in the past.
“However, in the last two years, there has been a process to tidy up the data that is coming out of Nigeria.
So, this includes collaboration with ONSA, collaboration with NIMC, collaboration with the ministry of foreign affairs to ensure that the data—the passport and other documents of agencies—are tidied up and have the integral value for it to travel.
“What has now happened is that Asfaar came at the right time, where it is using its processes to ensure a further verification of the data that is provided.”
Asfaar’s CEO, Jamil Hausawi, stated that the agency was established to alleviate the increasing visa limitations and problems that Nigerians encounter when travelling abroad.
Hausawi stated that, while visa approvals remain the responsibility of embassies, applicants utilising Asfaar will have relevant government entities act as intermediates if problems emerge.
He stated that Asfaar will be launched in three phases, with the first phase focusing on the Arab and Gulf states, which attract a large number of Nigerian visitors, many of whom visit multiple times per year for hajj and umrah, but where visa restrictions have posed significant challenges in recent years.
He added that the second phase will include Asia and Australia, and the third phase will include Europe and the United States, but that the implementation would be “gradual”.
Nelson Obiabo, an Asfaar representative, stated that the agency has only begun skeletal services, with full operation to begin as soon as integration with embassies and consulates is completed.
