FG Partners for Better Treatment of Nigerian Travelers

FG Partners for Better Treatment of Nigerian Travelers

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government has taken an important stride towards enhancing the security and protection of Nigerian citizens traveling abroad through a partnership with ASFAAR, aims at addressing issues surrounding the integrity of Nigerian data and documents.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, on Tuesday while speaking at the Asfaar Press Launch and Media tour of Visa Processing facilities in Abuja, said Nigerians all over the world are maligned, noting that ASFAAR platform provides additional verification of traveler’s data, including their name, address, and character.

Represented by his Special Assistant on Media and Strategic Communication, Alkasim AbdulKadir, he cited an example of a recent case where a Nigerian woman was wrongly tagged with luggage containing harmful substances.

He noted that: “If that person had come through ASFAAR, what it will have done is that it will have vetted her. It will have known her home address, it will understand her character.”

He stressed the importance of the Ministry’s collaboration with ASFAAR, saying it is part of their mandate to offer maximum support for such a platform.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is established to protect the sovereignty of Nigeria as a country where other countries are concerned, and this is one gateway for us to do that.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the protection and well-being of Nigerian citizens abroad, and this partnership is expected to enhance the security and protection of Nigerian travelers.”

Also speaking, a representative of the Ministry of Justice, Barrister Maculey William, said the partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ASFAAR, aims to streamline the process of obtaining visas and enhance the protection of Nigerian citizens abroad.

“We check the laws, what have we encountered in the past years was that Nigerians have had a tough time, but with this partnership, we are working to change that.”

William also explained that the new system will allow Nigerians to access any embassy with ease and resolve cases efficiently as he highlighted the importance of collaboration between the government and ASFAAR.

“The partnership will provide first-class service to Nigerians, and the sharing of revenue will be kept under the federal executive council. How it’s being shared is being kept under the federal executive council, they are fully in charge.”

On his part, the Managing Director and the Chief Executive Officer of Asfaar, Dr. Jamil Hausawi, explained that the partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to ease visa restrictions and challenges faced by Nigerians traveling abroad, particularly to Saudi Arabia.

He said: “We started last November 2024, and one visit in Saudi Arabia due to a lot of complaints of visa restrictions and a lot of challenges Nigerians facing when they are traveling, especially to Saudi, not only for homeland privilege, but even more for work, teaching as a doctor and tourism to the Middle East.”

He further explained that the partnership led to the development of an indigenous digital ecosystem platform that meets international standards, including integration with Nusuk, a platform belonging to the Saudi Arabian government.

Hausawi highlighted the support received from key stakeholders, including the Office of the Vice President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said: “The main objective of this initiative is to make existing name registration the primary tool for any business application, ensuring that applicants are verified as Nigerian citizens responsible for their actions.”

Hausawi emphasized that the platform aims to simplify processes, enhance transparency, and detect potential issues related to government offices or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“This platform is just a solution, a complement to all what we have, all what we need,” Dr. Hausawi explained.

“As far as you are Nigerians, we try to help, we try to make it simple, transparent, and we will be able to detect any issue related to our principal offices, the federal government, or Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” He said.
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