Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu has called on foreign missions in Nigeria to review their visa processes and reduce long waiting periods that create difficulties for legitimate Nigerian travellers.
Speaking on Thursday in Abuja during an interactive session with heads of diplomatic missions, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said excessively long delays affect students, businesspeople and families. Nigeria respects every country’s sovereign right to set its own visa policy, she said, but expects greater efficiency, transparency and responsiveness in handling applications from Nigerians.
“While we fully respect the sovereign right of every country to determine its visa policy, excessively long waiting periods can create considerable difficulties for legitimate travellers, students, businesspersons and families. We therefore encourage greater efficiency, transparency and responsiveness wherever possible,” she said.
The minister outlined Nigeria’s foreign policy under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as guided by the “Four Ds”, Demography, Development, Democracy and Diaspora. The approach aims to harness the country’s youthful population through education, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and skills development, with economic diplomacy at the centre of international engagement.
Nigeria will continue to prioritise relations with its neighbours, ECOWAS and the rest of Africa while engaging constructively with the wider international community, she said. Partnerships will be based on national interest, mutual respect, reciprocity and Nigeria’s international obligations.
“Strategic autonomy does not mean isolation; it means preserving Nigeria’s sovereign right to determine the relationships and positions that best serve our people,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted.
She said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to revive inactive joint commissions and bi-national commissions to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, security, education, technology, health and agriculture.
The minister reminded diplomatic missions that the ministry remains the official channel of communication with the Nigerian government and urged them to route official requests through it for proper coordination.
“The Ministry is not an obstacle between you and the Nigerian Government; we are your bridge to the Nigerian Government,” she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also assured the Diplomatic Corps that the safety and welfare of diplomats, their families and premises remain a priority for the Federal Government. Nigeria will continue to support dialogue, multilateralism and the peaceful resolution of disputes while strengthening engagement with ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth and other international institutions.
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