I still have a Nigerian passport. But when coming into Nigeria with my wife I always get a visa on our foreign passports. Why? My wife is very worried about the Nigerian Immigration service. For those of you who don't know. When you arrive in Nigeria and in almost all airports, the country's citizens and card holders are separated into separate queues. The citizen check in is faster since they don't need a visa check.

In Nigeria as you would expect it is very chaotic. Your spouse can be separated from you and sometimes, they will sent the foreign spouse to another office to go and do further checking because something was wrong. there is no vaccination card or something else. - it is like the story of the expired tires by the road safety.

Before you know it you have lost your wife temporarily and nobody knows where she is. Before she is discovered, she would have lost a $100. If you are a foreigner, that is scary. To avoid that nightmare at the airport she feels safer if both of us come to Nigeria with foreign passports and a Visa. that way we are both on the same queue. Each visa cost at least $250 in total. That is not the official rate of course. another big story. HOw long does it take a government to clean this mess up and really make business in Nigeria easy and encourage tourism.

The irritating part is, as soon as you get to Lagos they will change the three months Visa to 30 days. You must go to a local immigration office after 30 days to start the bribing thing again. True story. Talk about being unfriendly to tourism. The investors are even getting a rougher deal.

After 27 years of marriage she still doesn't have a resident permit in Nigeria. But that is a story for another day.

I think by now this country owns me an apology from a very high official.

https://m.facebook.com/AromsAigbehi/photos/a.160241647815285.1073741828.158338594672257/273645213141594/?type=3

cc:lalasticlala and mynd44

Nigeria is corrupted

Adieza:
I still have a Nigerian passport. But when coming into Nigeria with my wife I always get a visa on our foreign passports. Why? My wife is very worried about the Nigerian Immigration service. For those of you who don't know. When you arrive in Nigeria and in almost all airports, the country's citizens and card holders are separated into separate queues. The citizen check in is faster since they don't need a visa check.

In Nigeria as you would expect it is very chaotic. Your spouse can be separated from you and sometimes, they will sent the foreign spouse to another office to go and do further checking because something was wrong. there is no vaccination card or something else. - it is like the story of the expired tires by the road safety.

Before you know it you have lost your wife temporarily and nobody knows where she is. Before she is discovered, she would have lost a $100. If you are a foreigner, that is scary. To avoid that nightmare at the airport she feels safer if both of us come to Nigeria with foreign passports and a Visa. that way we are both on the same queue. Each visa cost at least $250 in total. That is not the official rate of course. another big story. HOw long does it take a government to clean this mess up and really make business in Nigeria easy and encourage tourism.

The irritating part is, as soon as you get to Lagos they will change the three months Visa to 30 days. You must go to a local immigration office after 30 days to start the bribing thing again. True story. Talk about being unfriendly to tourism. The investors are even getting a rougher deal.

After 27 years of marriage she still doesn't have a resident permit in Nigeria. But that is a story for another day.

I think by now this country owns me an apology from a very high official.

https://m.facebook.com/AromsAigbehi/photos/a.160241647815285.1073741828.158338594672257/273645213141594/?type=3

Sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience with Nigeria Immigration officers. As sad and very disapponinting to admit one cannot really blame them for the disgraceful act. The government is to blame for it.

On the bolded comment you will have to be a full time Nigeria resident along with your wife in order to make that process of getting your wife a Nigerian residential permit not take that long.

Adieza:

Before you know it you have lost your wife temporarily and nobody knows where she is. Before she is discovered, she would have lost a $100. If you are a foreigner, that is scary. To avoid that nightmare at the airport she feels safer if both of us come to Nigeria with foreign passports and a Visa. that way we are both on the same queue. Each visa cost at least $250 in total. That is not the official rate of course another big story. HOw long does it take a government to clean this mess up and really make business in Nigeria easy and encourage tourism.
The irritating part is, as soon as you get to Lagos they will change the three months Visa to 30 days. You must go to a local immigration office after 30 days to start the bribing thing again True story. Talk about being unfriendly to tourism. The investors are even getting a rougher deal.
After 27 years of marriage she still doesn't have a resident permit in Nigeria. But that is a story for another day.

I'm not holding brief for the Nigerian Immigration Service, but you don't seem to understand how visas work. A visa (in ALL countries) allows you to board the aircraft and present yourself at the airport in your destination country, how long you are allowed in for is determined by the immigration official who stamps your passport. They can also choose to refuse you entry even though you have a visa. This is what is obtainable worldwide.

You also said you paid $250 for a Nigerian visa. You paid a bribe to get the visa because you wanted to, if you had applied at the Nigerian embassies, you would have received the visa at the official price.

You said you have been married to your foreign wife for over 27 years, she is eligible to apply for a Nigerian passport. If she had a passport, you wouldn't need to pay bribes for visas, and thereby adding your own share to the corruption bedevilling the country.

Your story is a kind of confusing. You are just trying to paint your country black because you marry white woman and trying to please her. I have worked at the airport with an airline for over 6yrs now and nothing like that happen during arrival especially if they are husband and wife. If you are a citizen of Nigeria that is legally married to white your right as a citizen has covered your wife and no immigration officer will ask your wife for anything. She cannot be taken to any office because all passengers are stamped in on the immigration arrival desk. Some of the problems most passengers encounter is during departures. Maybe they don't the required BTA, or they overstayed or some other issues but they sort themselves out. Like someone mentioned you decided to give bribe to acquire the citizen stuff because you choose to do so. If you apply properly you will get your stuff on time especially when you are married for that long......I know the system is corrupt but on this your story here I disagree with you because most times I escort my passengers through immigration and I stay at the arrival hall there always. I hardly see anybody having issues on arrival in Nigeria.

Andy2274:
Your story is a kind of confusing. You are just trying to paint your country black because you marry white woman and trying to please her. I have worked at the airport with an airline for over 6yrs now and nothing like that happen during arrival especially if they are husband and wife. If you are a citizen of Nigeria that is legally married to white your right as a citizen has covered your wife and no immigration officer will ask your wife for anything. She cannot be taken to any office because all passengers are stamped in on the immigration arrival desk. Some of the problems most passengers encounter is during departures. Maybe they don't the required BTA, or they overstayed or some other issues but they sort themselves out. Like someone mentioned you decided to give bribe to acquire the citizen stuff because you choose to do so. If you apply properly you will get your stuff on time especially when you are married for that long......I know the system is corrupt but on this your story here I disagree with you because most times I escort my passengers through immigration and I stay at the arrival hall there always. I hardly see anybody having issues on arrival in Nigeria.

I support you on this,On point.They only milk your pocket out there when you departing.