THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, has assured that he would soon come up with a comprehensive review of migration and visa policies of the country. The aim of the review, he explained, is to make the processes of obtaining passport and travelling easier for Nigerians both at home and abroad.
Dr Tunji-Ojo made the promise on Tuesday in Abuja when he received the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who paid a courtesy visit to the minister.
He said his ministry was worried about some migration and visa policies which tend to make Nigeria a dumping ground. The minister said the review would take cognisance of the principle of reciprocity in line with international standards.
Tunji-Ojo also expressed his concerns about the general challenges with passport processing, capturing and collection faced by Nigerians who live outside the country, assuring that everything possible would be done to make the process more efficient soonest.
Earlier, Dr Dabiri-Erewa had commended the dynamism brought in by Minister Tunji-Ojo and the improvement in the issuance of passport to Nigerians both home and abroad recorded since his assumption of office. She advocated for a more effective passport capturing and collection process for Nigerians living abroad.
Dabiri-Erewa, who solicited for a working collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, said there was urgent need to create a structural platform to address complex diaspora issues that require coordinated efforts from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Kola Tella
