₦airaland Forum

DeLaRue:
You can't declare a shadow cabinet in a Presidential system of government.

In a Presidential system of government, you are effectively declaring an alternative government, and setting a terrible precedent which can lead to chaos.

Next thing, you'll have this being replicated at State level by some other people.

This man knows exactly what he's doing. He is trying to create anarchy. He wants to be arrested for treason so he can raise his profile and claim he is fighting for the people.

Must the words 'shadow cabinet' appear in the name of the organisation you're setting up.

Could he try this under a past military government He would not even try it with a President of Northern extraction. Where was he during Mr Buhari's government.

If you don't like a government, fine. Oppose it, but do so responsibly, without trying to forment chaos.

To make matters worse, Mr Utomi has a very poor record of managing anything. He was MD of Volkswagen Nigeria, but he ran the company aground. Yet, you see him everywhere pontificating like he is the only one who knows the solution to Nigeria's problems.

Sharrap up ya mouth. Watch the video and update your achaic way of reasoning


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYQssmC5anM?si=0N4JrQlTIJ70qU2O

This has my full support because this Tinubu government is propaganda magnified. There is no way we can continue like this and expect to achieve any meaningful development after 8 years. It is time to boot out this clueless and family business under the guise of a government, talk less of a democratic one

I agree with you, bro. That Sandra Duru na Akpabio hireling

None. They are birds of the same feather

Asiwaju no try for this one at all. This is my first time hearing of a President travelling to another country to spend more than two weeks in a foreign country when he is not sick.

Why do we keep repeating certain mistakes and even making it more compounded?

This is laudable. Tunji Ojo is one of the best, if not the best Minister in the Asiwaju administration. God bless him

Nigeria’s Ministry of Interior has rolled out a series of sweeping reforms aimed at enhancing the country’s immigration system, improving expatriate management, and ensuring the transparent processing of business permits.

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of interior, revealed the extensive changes during an engagement with members of the organised private sector, including Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and others in Lagos on Friday.

The reforms, which will take full effect starting on May 1, are designed to sanitise Nigeria’s expatriate employment system, curb abuses, and create a more business-friendly environment.

E-Visa So Simplify Access For Legitimate Travellers

In a bid to streamline the visa process and reduce delays, the Ministry has introduced an e-visa platform starting May 1. Tunji-Ojo highlighted that the new system would ensure visa issuance to qualified applicants within 48 hours, eliminating the need for long waits at Nigerian embassies abroad.

“Visa is no longer just a tool for immigration control, it’s a tool for economic growth,” the minister said. “We are introducing an e-visa system to make it easier for legitimate travelers to access Nigeria, especially for short-term business engagements.” He added that this move would particularly benefit business travelers who often miss opportunities due to bureaucratic delays.

Automation Of Expatriate Quota And Immigration Permits

Another major reform is the complete automation of the Expatriate Quota and Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC) application processes. This transition to an online system, which will also go live in May, is aimed at eliminating paperwork, reducing corruption, and ensuring transparency.

“The era of going to the bank, buying forms, and physically submitting documents is over,” Tunji-Ojo declared. “Everything will be processed online, with QR-coded digital copies and backend integration with security systems to verify criminal records and immigration history.”

Tunji-Ojo emphasised that the reforms are necessary to curb the widespread abuse of the expatriate quota system, citing examples of quotas being approved for positions like drivers and waiters, roles that he insists can be filled by Nigerians.

“How can a company ask for a quota to bring in a driver?” he asked rhetorically. “We are not against expatriates, but the quota system must be used strictly where there’s no local expertise”.

To further address these abuses, the minister announced that companies would now be required to submit progress reports on expatriate understudies to ensure knowledge transfer to Nigerian workers. Also, quotas will be subjected to stricter scrutiny, with the ministry enforcing a mandatory expatriate understudy scheme.

Mandatory Expatriate Insurance And CERPAC Proration

As part of the reforms, the government will also introduce a mandatory expatriate insurance scheme, which will cover repatriation and personal liability.

“No country in the world uses its infrastructure money to repatriate expatriates,” Tunji-Ojo said. “We are aligning with global best practices”.

The insurance scheme aims to shift the financial burden of repatriating foreign workers back to the private sector.

Furthermore, to ease the cost burden on businesses, the government will introduce prorated CERPAC payments for short-term workers.

“If you are working in Nigeria for three months, you won’t need to pay for a full year,” Tunji-Ojo explained. “The goal is to make the system fair for both businesses and regulators.”

Digital Landing And Exit Cards To Combat Immigration Abuse

In another effort to modernise immigration processes, the Ministry has also replaced physical landing and exit cards with a digital system. The new system requires travelers to complete their landing and exit cards online before arrival or departure.

“Before boarding any flight to Nigeria, all travelers must fill out their landing cards online,” Tunji-Ojo explained. “The airlines will be mandated to check this, just like we did during COVID-19.”

This digital initiative will not only streamline the immigration process but also allow for long-term data storage, providing better security and planning. “We cannot keep relying on paper cards in a 5G era. We’re doing what Singapore, Taiwan, and other countries already do,” Tunji-Ojo said.

The digital system will also help track visa compliance and prevent overstays. “People come to Nigeria for two-week tourism and end up working here for three years. That must stop”, he added.

Visa Overstay Penalties And Amnesty Window

Tunji-Ojo announced that the government will enforce penalties for visa overstays starting August 1, 2025. Those who overstay their visas will face fines or entry ban. However, there will be a three-month amnesty period, starting from May 1, for overstayers to regularise their status, pay any outstanding fines, or exit the country without penalty.

“If you overstay and your visa allows for penalties, you’ll pay. If not, you may face entry ban,” the minister warned. He emphasised that the reforms aim to promote fairness and security for both expatriates and Nigerian citizens.

Commitment To National Unity And Economic Prosperity

Tunji-Ojo concluded his remarks by reiterating the government’s commitment to fostering a prosperous and united Nigeria. He stressed that the reforms are part of a broader effort to protect the nation’s interest, ensure fair representation, and boost Nigeria’s economic growth.

“Our relationship with the private sector must be symbiotic, not parasitic,” Tunji-Ojo said. “National interest is fundamental, and we cannot mortgage the future of our young population for today’s convenience”.

He also highlighted that, according to government data, fewer than 50,000 expatriates are currently registered in Nigeria, far below the actual number. This discrepancy, he said, is due to gaps in tracking and enforcement.

Tunji-Ojo concluded by urging the private sector to cooperate with the government in ensuring the success of these reforms. “This is the only country I have. The only passport my children carry is Nigerian. So I have a duty to protect the integrity of this nation”.

Adewale Smatt-Oyerinde, director-general of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), in his welcome address praised the minister for the reforms.

Oyerinde emphasised the need for streamlined processes, focusing on business permit and visa applications. He also encouraged businesses to use the three-month amnesty period to regularise their processes to avoid penalties.

“We must prioritise homeland security,” Oyerinde said. “This is the only country we have, and while challenges exist, the ministry is making steady progress. It’s our collective responsibility to support them in achieving further milestones”.

Source: https://businessday.ng/news/article/interior-minister-rolls-out-sweeping-immigration-reforms-to-remove-bottlenecks-curb-abuses/

Better late than never. Thank you Pastor T. Bakare for this fearless message. May God continue to empower you as you speak for the voiceless. As it is today, Nigeria is sinking into an abyss of oblivion

Thank you for this write up. We all need to change our orientations. Nigerians are just too lawless and careless. What is our problem, for crying out loud?

Nigeria is a dangerous place to fight the establishment. But nobody should give in to fear as all die na die. Stand for truth, killed for truth and be buried for truth.

Nobody actually has the monopoly of violence but for the fear of God. If you succeed in killing Natasha and her family, will you succeed in killing everybody who is supporting her stance on governance? The answer is no. Shame on Nigerian polithievecians

Too bad. So the US also abuses human rights, otherwise no justification for keeping a man in awaiting trial for seven, good (7) months.
May calamity not strike while making progress in life in Jesus name. One also has to be careful with the way we live our lives. May God help him

danvon:
2face curse is upon her.

I see her becoming miserable, i see her transforming to 2face ex, i see 2face running back to his ex and their toxic love continues.

You are a wicked soul

PressMyButton:
Very likely if he continues this way, Trump reminds me of a certain candidate that said he gets advice from a mad man, it seems Trump is sharing the same mad man with the person.

Lmao 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

Useless set of people. How can you leave a party you are a card carrying member and be rooting for a candidate of another party. Who did this to our polithievecians?

So sad. He who wears the shoes knows where it pinches. Nigeria has no joy. Everything is money first

helinues:
Omo ale jati jati

Did anyone accuse you of being a bastard before?

Oniranu the clout chaser

Your second name is mumu. E-diot

I just love what she is doing. The fuulish leaders must be disgraced

Natasha is the only woman in the Senate who can challenge the establishment, the cult that is known as the NASS. May God protect her from all the desperate hawks who are doing all they can to remove the most admired personality in that house of sycophants

These guys have taken this joke too far. Wait oo, without hearing from this lady, see what State capture has led us into. Even military regimes will not handle such a sensitive matter in this way. Akpabio is power drunk.

Onanuga is like a candle in the wind. Soon there will be no light from him

Gbosas for the green chambers this time around. Remaining to remove the "rubber stamp" toga.

When you do good, you get applause and you do bad, you get hooting, then why not just be doing good?

That Senator is uncultured. The wife must have been in shacles u dear him

I have been in this Lagos for more than 35 years, never drank from any water provided by the govt. It has been survival through personal efforts.

Up til today, there is nothing like govt supply

Bayo Onanuga, the tribal bigot has no right to question what Mr. Peter Obi says. He should sit and admonish his master to do the right thing. Nigerians are barely surviving. Nigerians are not smiling.

If Onanuga who claims to be a democratic is now viewing anti democratic moves through a positive lens, then shame on him

Our leaders are wicked