SOS ON SYSTEM COLLAPSE AND VISA CRISIS IN NIGERIAN EMBASSY USA
SOS On System Collapse And Visa Crisis In Nigerian Embassy USA
–
The Honorable Minister for Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Abuja, Nigeria
November 1, 2017
Dear Minister,
SOS ON SYSTEM COLLAPSE AND VISA CRISIS IN NIGERIAN EMBASSY USA
Greetings from Washington.
I write to convey to you a critical emergency with regard to the visa
situation in Nigeria’s diplomatic missions in the US brought to my
attention by affected citizens. The resulting system failures are
endangering the well being of thousands of Nigerians who are planning
to travel to Nigeria for the upcoming Christmas holiday and couldn’t
possibly have happened at a worse time.
In particular, reports reaching us indicate that:
1. DISRUPTIVE INTRODUCTION OF FLAWED NEW VISA PROCESS
Without any significant advance notice or prior sensitization, the
Nigerian government decided to consolidate visa processing into one
independent contractor to service the entire 50 states of the US home
to over 1 million Nigerian citizens. This negates the very purpose for
having consulates in New York and Atlanta which are major population
centers for Nigerians in Diaspora. Indeed during Vice President
Osinbajo’s townhall meeting with Nigerians in Diaspora in October last
year, citizens in Houston asked for a consulate there as well. Rather
than bring government closer to the people, this action has taken
government and consular services farther away from them.
2. QUESTIONABLE EXCLUSIVE VISA PROCESSING CONTRACTOR
There are also questions as to why one solitary company would be
tasked with such an onerous responsibility normally serviced by duly
trained and paid diplomats and support staff for years. It is clear
that this organization neither has the capacity nor geographic
footprint to properly serve the needs of visa applicants in the US.
Worse still, the identities and personal data of applicants will now
be in the hands of unknown private individuals.
3. TEDIOUS INTRODUCTION OF BIOMETRICS
Worse still, a biometric requirement has apparently been introduced
for intending visitors to Nigeria. This means that applicants now have
to travel from Los Angeles to Washington (the equivalent of flying
from Lagos to London) just to apply for a Nigerian visa. This is not
only an onerous but an absurd situation that will only cause more
hardship on citizens and potential investors. It should be noted that
while citizens had to travel for passport biometrics, they had the
option of three US locations (Atlanta, Washington and New York) to go
to. if they couldn’t travel, the fall back option was to apply for a
visa which didn’t require their physical presence. This current
situation has deprived Nigerians of affordable visa application
options without needless travel.
4. DYSFUNCTION AND LACK OF CAPACITY OF THE OIS CONTRACTOR
The company exclusively contracted to process visas in the US has been
overwhelmed and unprofessional. Callers have been on hold for almost
an hour only to be told to leave a voicemail message and wait for a
return call that may never come. Unlike the embassy which is a known
entity and where there is some form of accountability, there is no
immediate follow up system for the private company OIS. This adds to
delays, frustration and avoidable angst for applicants. Ironically
Vice President Osinbajo had assured of expedited visa processing in 48
hours last year when speaking at an investment forum in Houston Texas.
This situation is quite contrary to the government’s publicly stated
position.
5. SCARCITY OF VISA STAMPS AND PASSPORT BOOKLETS
There are reportedly few passport booklets or no visa stamps for
issuance even if all the above dysfunctionalities were addressed. This
is scandalous, outrageous and unacceptable on any level. Citizens are
asking for the globally recognized identity and nationality tender.
This is the most basic of services every country must render to its
citizens in the global community. Besides that this is not a free
service. Nigerians are paying for this document. More so citizens in
Diaspora are paying for the passport in dollars at a higher rate than
their counterparts at home. How Nigeria could fail in this minimum
service delivery obligation to provide paid for passports is shocking,
appalling and unconscionable.
Accordingly we respectfully demand the following to be done by your
ministry with immediate effect:
1. REVERT TO STATUS QUO
Suspend the exclusive contract given to OIS to process all visa
applications in the USA and revert to the status quo. It is to be
noted that prior to this OIS contract, visas were processing smoothly
on a 5-day turn around and the embassy in Washington provided a
business center for citizens to use during the tenure of the late
ambassador Odufoye.
2. CANCEL BIOMETRICS
Cancel the requirement for biometric processing for visa applicants in
the US. In the first place Nigerian citizens apply for visas on US
passports should not be subjected to biometrics requirements just to
go home. If it is imperative for non-Nigerians, the data capture can
be done on arrival in Nigeria.
3. PROVIDE BOOKLETS
Provide adequate supplies of passport booklets and visa stamps for US
missions consular services. In the event that these are unavailable,
there should be a back up system to prevent citizens from being
stranded.
4. EXTEND PASSPORTS BY RENEWAL
Reintroduce old passport book renewals for 5 years for Nigerians in
Diaspora. The government of Nigeria inexplicably eliminated the
practice of renewing expired passports for an additional 5 years
totaling 10 years of longevity as is the norm with US passports.
However now a booklet expires at 5 years and a new booklet has to be
acquired and biometrics repeated. Since Nigeria serially fails to
provide adequate booklets abroad, it behooves the government to extend
the life and validity of an expired passport for an additional 5 years
(totaling 10 years of longevity)
5. AUTOMATIC VISA ON ARRIVAL
Allow automatic visa on arrival for Nigerians traveling home on
foreign passports. Nigerians returning home should not be put through
obstacles to achieve that.
6. INVESTIGATE THE DISRUPTIVE CHANGE
Investigate how and why such a disruptive change was done without wide
sensitization and consultation with stakeholders in the Diaspora and
in particular the suspicious exclusive contract with OIS.
Hon. Minister, Nigerians in Diaspora remit billions of dollars into
the economy annually. In 2015, the amount remitted to Nigeria was $21
billion projected to rise to $22 billion this year making Nigeria the
6th largest beneficiary of Diaspora remittances in the world. Kindly
note that:
1. Nigerian Diaspora remittance exceeds Nigeria’s annual national
budget (which is even a deficit budget requiring loan-financing)
2. Nigerian Diaspora’s $22 billion capital infusion into the Nigerian
economy this year at $1=N360 is much more valuable than in the 2015
injection of $21 billion at $1=N197
3. Nigerian Diaspora remittance helped stabilize the economy from
capital flight ocassioned by looting, recession, and investor
disinvestments
Hon. minister, the contributions from Diaspora is more than the $22
billion cited above as citizens return with cash, goods, projects and
other value added resources and human capital which is not easily
quantifiable. Any obstructions in the path of visiting Nigerians apart
from being morally reprehensible is also self-economic sabotage.
Nigerians in Diaspora are Nigeria’s number one tourism dollars source
and the country’s largest non-oil forex earner. While Diasporans have
no voting powers, they should at least not be disallowed basic travel
documents. Besides the economic importance, I am constrained to write
this urgent SOS to you due to a bereavement of a Diasporan who has
been unable to obtain travel documents to return home for her mother’s
burial. Culturally, this is abominable.
Kindly do your utmost to resolve this unbecoming situation.
Kind regards,
Emmanuel Ogebe
Managing Partner
US Nigeria Law Group
Washington DC
USA
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