Ordeal of Nigerian Visa Applicants.

By Emmanuel Ayomide-Praise (@eapthecolossus)

I write to join several well-meaning Nigerians to protest the unfair and unjust treatment of Nigerian visa applicants by many foreign embassies and high commissions in Nigeria. Among the reasons why every country in the world has embassies and consulates in other countries are, among other things, to strengthen diplomatic ties with such countries, facilitate mutual trade and cooperation and easily enable the application, processing and possible issuance of visas to citizens of those countries. 

However, the scenario in Nigeria is the direct opposite. 

While many foreign embassies and consulates in Nigeria seek to strengthen diplomatic relations and encourage mutual trade and cooperation, it seems that there is also a conscious and deliberate effort to make it impossible for Nigerian citizens to obtain travel visas to their countries, even when they have legitimate reasons to do so and when all visa application requirements have been met, by putting all kinds of impediments to the issuance of such visas. 

A case in point, which I have experienced personally, is that of the Serbian embassy in Nigeria, located in Maitama District, Abuja. As a football agent and manager of aspiring professional footballers in Nigeria, I facilitated and received a letter of invitation(LOI) from a 2nd division club in Montenegro, Fudbalski Klub (FK) Zabjelo, Podgorica, for four Nigerian grassroots footballers. 

Because all Montenegrin visa applications in Nigeria are handled by the Serbian embassy in Abuja on behalf of the nation of Montenegro (Serbia-Montenegro was an independent nation until Montenegro got its full independence in 2006), we were asked to apply for the visas at the Serbian embassy, Abuja.

A copy of the LOI from FK Zabjelo (which is directly affiliated to the Football Association of Montenegro and consequently to FIFA) was sent by email directly to the embassy stating clearly that the players were being invited strictly for trials with the club and that feeding, accommodation and local transport were going to be provided by it. 

With this in mind, we asked the embassy for specific requirements for visa applications of footballers going on trials and these requirements were clearly stated thus: official letter of invitation from the club; supporting letter from the player's football federation; passport photos; visa forms fully-filled and N13,000 visa fee per person. Since the stated trial period was between June 24 and July 24 and the LOI having been issued on June 21, I rushed to Abuja to apply for the visas on Thursday June 23, 2011, trying as much as possible to beat the deadline. Since the specific type of visa was a non-appearance one, I was mandated by the four players to apply for the visas, submit and then pick up all relevant documents, on their behalf. 

All submitted documents were accepted by the embassy after thorough vetting and verification having also paid a fee of N52,000 visa fees for four persons. It is important to note that on the visa forms and receipts issued by the Serbian embassy as well as on its official website, http://www.nigeria.mfa.rs, nowhere was it stated that the visa application fees were non-refundable, like some embassies usually do. After submission of documents and visa application, a Nigerian staff of the embassy, who simply identified herself as Mrs. Mohammed, told me that the visas could not be issued immediately but that they were going to be issued after 10 working days. 

In the process of visa application and submission of documents, I noticed a rush by the staff of the embassy to receive the payment of the visa fees and to quickly issue a receipt. I noted the fact that perhaps a lot of foreign embassies look forward to receiving visa applications fees from Nigerian citizens while some others like the Chinese embassy in Abuja and Lagos will only issue you a receipt for payment of visa fee, after your visa has been approved and is set to be issued. 

A few days after the submission of the visa applications when I called the embassy on phone to enquire about the progress of processing, a Nigerian staff advised that we should call the inviting club FK Zabjelo in Montenegro to appear before the immigration police in Podgorica to clarify its position and thus obtain visa approval, suggesting that this will hasten the process of visa approval, which usually takes 10 working days. 

In obedience, I asked the Team Manager to make a date with the immigration police in Podgorica to clarify the position of the club and justify the basis of invitation, which he promptly obliged. Relevant approvals were sought from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro by the club while a call was also put through by the club's team  manager to the Consular of the Serbian embassy in Abuja, to clarify all issues, a move which the embassy itself acknowledged. 

I was thus taken aback when at the expiration of the stated 10 working days, I called the embassy to confirm the issuance of the visas, only to be told that the applications had been refused. Probing further to find specific reasons for visa refusal, a staff claimed no official reason was given for visa refusal stating only that the application had just been rejected outright. In addition, there was no written or official explanation stating reasons for visa refusal and possible grounds of appeal. I found this very unprofessional. 

For a country that says it is on its road to "strengthening its relationship with the Federal Republic of Nigeria," it amazes me that the same country's diplomatic mission in Nigeria will deny Nigerian citizens who have established legitimate grounds for visa issuance visas to travel to its country, without any logical or justifiable reasons. 

In the same vein, it has been noted that many foreign embassies and diplomatic missions in Nigeria seek flimsy and trivial reasons to refuse Nigerian citizens travel visas, even after all visa application conditions have been met and without any attempt to refund visa application fees of such denied Nigerians. I dare say, therefore, that many foreign embassies and diplomatic missions in Nigeria are nothing but business centres where brisk business is done through the purchase of visa application forms and payment of visa application fees, which are in most cases, non-refundable. 

It is expedient therefore for the Federal Government, as well as its Ministry of Internal Affairs, to look into the activities of foreign embassies, high commissions and consulates in Nigeria, as regards the treatment of Nigerian citizens in an unfair and sometimes undignifying manner. It has been severally reported how Nigerian citizens are made to queue long hours to apply for visas or stay under the sun continuously for days to submit visa application documents. I challenge the National Assembly to pass a law preventing foreign embassies from charging visa fees when such visa applications have not been reviewed, as this has become a veritable way of generating income by the embassies, ripping off many Nigerians in the process. 

(This article was first published in the PUNCH on Wednesday 20th July 20011). http://odili.net/news/source/2011/jul/20/802.html

Emmanuel Ayomide-Praise is a Nigerian journalist, blogger and TV/Radio host. Email:eapgold@gmail.com. Twitter:@eapthecolossus, http://ayomidepraise.blogspot