Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that over 14,000 electronic visa (e-visa) applications have been successfully processed within six weeks of launching the scheme, describing it as a major leap in Nigeria’s immigration reform and economic modernization.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja on Monday, Tunji-Ojo also revealed that the electronic Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (e-CERPAC) and the electronic Temporary Work Permit (e-TWP) would officially go live within the next week.

“Within the first six weeks of the e-visa, we were able to process over 14,000 visa applications. By any global standard, this is a pass mark,” the minister stated.

He credited the early success to the intensive collaboration between immigration officers and technical partners, noting that work continued through weekends—even at his residence—to fine-tune the system for smooth implementation.

“When you’re in the process of innovation, there’s no time to close your eyes. You must ensure it works,” he added.

Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the e-visa platform was created not just to streamline immigration but to fuel economic growth, remove bureaucratic bottlenecks, and boost global investor and visitor confidence in Nigeria.

“When someone needs a visa to Nigeria and starts looking for who knows the minister or immigration chief, that is not how to grow a country. You must make it easy, without compromising national security,” he said.

Providing an update on e-border reforms, the minister disclosed that electronic border surveillance solutions have begun to significantly improve Nigeria’s ability to monitor and secure its territorial boundaries.

“We are not yet where we want to be, but we are not where we were. More boots are on the ground, and we are investing more in e-border governance to protect every inch of our border space,” he explained.

On the upcoming rollout of e-CERPAC and e-TWP, Tunji-Ojo said both systems would be fully automated, eliminating loopholes often exploited under the former manual processes.

“That era where people entered Nigeria on TWPs almost for free and kept renewing to evade the law is over. Automation will end that,” he declared.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transparency and digital innovation in immigration operations, calling the transition to digital systems a “non-negotiable part of Nigeria’s transformation journey.”