The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has said that going forward, any airline that flies passengers into Nigeria without valid visas will be sanctioned.

Tunji-Oko stated this when he spoke at a public function today May 23. He mentioned that the airlines which frequently bring in passengers into Nigeria without visas cannot do the same in any other country as it is unacceptable anywhere in the world. He said Nigeria will no longer be a testing ground for practices prohibited elsewhere.

“We have issues with the airlines, and we have spoken to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) about it.

A lot of people come into Nigeria without visas, and airlines pick them up. It is not the right thing to do. You can’t do this in any other country. If I want to travel to the UK and I don’t have a visa, British Airways will not pick me up. They must see my visa. Recently, we had to turn some people back because they didn’t have any visas. With the support of the NCAA, we will start to implement the law. Any airline that picks up passengers who do not have a visa will be fined.

How can someone come from Europe or Asia without a visa and then come into Nigeria and start making calls to ask how he or she can get a visa? It is not done anywhere. Please, we are pleading with you, you are here to do business, but you must obey Nigeria’s laws.

The NCAA should please enforce this regulation. Please, before anyone comes into Nigeria, make sure you see the person’s visa. Do not pick up anyone without a visa, and the NCAA will have to issue a directive to that effect. Unless you are from a visa-free country, you must have a visa before entering Nigeria. Nigeria is not a testing ground where you can do what you can’t do in other countries. The power of enforcement will come into play; you must cite the visa and confirm the person has a valid visa.”

On the approval rate of visas, he said that the fact that someone applies for a Nigerian visa doesn’t mean the person will get it.

“If you don’t qualify, you won’t get it. This time around, we go and verify any information you input when applying for short stay visas. We go to the hotel and ensure as well.

On the approval rate, as of May 22, 2025, we had 5,814 visa applications: 5,617 approved, 66 rejected, and 62 queried. That is for those coming for short stays. We go to the hotel you input to verify if you actually booked. We will create a perfect system” he said.