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FG to penalise airlines lifting passengers without visa into Nigeria

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Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, says airlines transporting passengers without valid entry visas, landing, and exit cards into Nigeria will be penalised.

Tunji-Ojo warned stakeholders during a sensitisation programme on implementing the e-visa, landing, and exit cards initiative in Lagos on Friday.

The minister said no foreigner shall be allowed entry into Nigeria without a valid visa.

He said although Nigeria is making entry more accessible by introducing e-visas, this would not compromise national security.

He urged the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure that airlines adhere to the 2025 Nigeria visa policy.

Tunji-Ojo said the e-visa would improve border security and promote tourism and sustainable economic growth.

“I plead with the NCAA to regulate. That is why this meeting is a strategic collaborative effort of the ministry, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the NCAA,” he said.

“For the airlines, I know you are here to do business, but you also have a responsibility in terms of national interest and security.

“Before anybody comes into Nigeria, please see their visas, not just proof of payment or their tickets.

“It is not acceptable in the UK, U.S., Canada and other countries, and it will not be acceptable in Nigeria anymore.”

The minister said making the application for e-visa, landing, and exit cards easy is necessary to open Nigeria’s frontiers to investors.

He also said as of May 22, the NIS received a total of 5,814 applications for e-visa, approved 5,671, rejected 66, and queried 62 since the introduction on May 1.

‘E-VISA WILL IMPROVE IMMIGRATION DATABASE’

He said the e-visa process will improve the NIS database with information about travellers, and processed in 48 hours.

Tunji-Ojo described the features of the e-visa, landing, and exit cards, saying they are equipped with a barcode that reveals passengers’ biodata and travel logs.

“That you applied for a Nigerian visa does not mean you will have the visa; you will need to meet certain criteria for the visa to be issued,” he said.

In his welcome address, Chris Najomo, the director-general of the NCAA, said introducing the e-visa and the associated landing and exit card systems is a milestone.

Najomo said the new process marks Nigeria’s journey toward enhancing air travel facilitation while maintaining the highest aviation security standards and operational efficiency.

“The e-visa showcases one of the practical ways we continually align with global best practices by complying with the ICAO provisions of Annex 9,” Najomo added.

“It is inherently designed to improve the experience of travellers while strengthening our border control mechanisms.

“The importance of seamless inter-agency collaboration cannot be over-emphasised to ensure effective implementation of these systems without compromising safety, security or service delivery.”

On her part, Kemi Nandap, controller-general of the NIS, called for more inter-agency collaboration to further strengthen the implementation of the e-visa, landing, and exit cards initiative.

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Bianca Ojukwu’s Daughter Joins Her Mother at the ECOWAS Council of Ministers Session in South Africa

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Following a recent post by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, on her official Instagram account on Monday, 15th December, 2025, the minister shared a noteworthy moment from the ECOWAS 95th Session of the Council of Ministers held in South Africa.

In the post, Ambassador Ojukwu revealed that her daughter, Chi, who works with UN Tourism, accompanied her to the high-level regional meeting to gain firsthand insight into the demands of diplomatic service. According to the minister, the experience offered her daughter a clearer understanding of the intensity and dedication required in her role as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

She explained that the council’s deliberations often stretched late into the night, sometimes well past midnight, with long hours spent in the conference hall and sustained by endless cups of tea. The demanding schedule, she noted, was far more intense than her daughter had anticipated

The post has since drawn reactions from followers, many of whom praised Ambassador Ojukwu for mentoring the next generation through exposure to international diplomacy and commended her commitment to regional cooperation and public service within ECOWAS.

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Late Ambassador Demola Seriki’s last wife accuses family of denying her and their children access to his graveside

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All appears not to be well with the family former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain, Late Demola Seriki, left behind. The Lagos politician and former minister passed away on Thursday, December 15, 2022, in Madrid, Spain at the age of 63 leaving behind three wives and his children.

Today marked three years since he passed away.

His last wife, Princess Sholape and her children had visited his graveside to pray for the repose of his soul. Sholape in a video she shared online this evening, said she and her kids were denied access into the vault to offer their prayers for the repose of his soul. According to her, a certain Biola has refused to grant herself and her kids access to the graveside and has instructed that visitation to his grave must be done only by her approval.

Sholape shared a video of herself and her two children at the grave.

‘’The keys for the vault has been seized and we have been refused access to it. Today we speak up and we will get on with things. It’s okay. It doesn’t stop up. We have done our prayers’’

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSS3dopDVBM/?igsh=ZDQ1ZTJsYXlobTU3

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Alleged N2.2bn fraud: Ngige to remain in Kuje Prison till December 18

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Justice Maryam Aliyu Hassan of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Gwarimpa in Abuja has ordered that former Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, be kept at Kuje prison till December 18.

Ngige will be on remand till the date when his bail application would be decided by the court.

Justice Hassan issued the order on Monday shortly after taking arguments for and against the bail request of the former governor of Anambra State.

Ngige’s lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, pleaded with the judge to admit the former minister to bail, mainly on health ground.

He submitted that the former minister would not jump bail or interfere with witnesses if admitted to bail.

However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, represented by Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, vehemently opposed the bail request, insisting that Ngige was a flight risk.

Tahir told the judge that Ngige was granted administrative bail by the EFCC and allowed to travel abroad for medical care but never reported back to the Commission.

Besides, he said that the international passport released to Ngige; to facilitate the abroad trip was never returned till today.

The senior lawyer argued that it was when Ngige was re-arrested that he came up with a purported claim that he lost his passport.

He insisted that the claim of passport loss was an afterthought and should not be believed by the court.

After the submissions, Justice Hassan fixed December 18 to deliver ruling in the bail request.

Ngige was last Friday slammed with an eight-count charge bordering on corrupt practices.

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