The Federal Government (FG) has announced that all visa applications will transition to an online system by March 1.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this revelation on Monday during an appearance on ‘X Spaces,’ hosted by influencer Segun Awosanya.
He also shared that a centralized visa approval centre has been established to streamline the visa process, promote consistency, enhance national security, and combat corruption.
“The creation of the visa approval centre is a major accomplishment for this administration. This centralized system will curb corruption, bolster national security, and standardize the visa process. By March 1, all visa applications will be processed online to ensure thorough vetting,” he explained.
The minister also highlighted the establishment of a unified data centre at the Bola Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC), located at the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Sauka, Abuja.
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“We’ve built one of the largest data centres in Nigeria’s history—a massive 8.3-petabyte facility. Previously, there were challenges because we inherited a Nigeria Immigration Service without a dedicated data centre, resulting in Nigerians’ data being stored privately by various contractors, which was a clear violation of the Data Protection Act,” he noted.
Tunji-Ojo emphasised that Nigeria’s security documents could not be properly issued under such conditions, as they violated due process.
To address this, the government pledged to develop a 1.4-petabyte data centre but ultimately succeeded in delivering an 8.3-petabyte data centre, one of the largest globally.
