The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced that the requirement for married women to obtain approval from their husbands for visa applications is not mandatory and is currently under review.
The agency plans to remove this stipulation following a backlash from the public.
In a notice issued on X (formerly Twitter) on October 10, 2024, the NDLEA responded to the uproar surrounding the requirement, which was recently culled from its official website.
Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy at the agency, clarified that the entire visa clearance procedure, as mandated by various countries, is undergoing reassessment.
“The requirement for a married woman to present a letter of approval from her husband is one of the items that the agency has since deemed non-mandatory,” Babafemi stated. He noted that this stipulation was initially included due to “ugly developments in some source countries.”
The NDLEA assured the public that this item has been eliminated from the list of requirements as part of the ongoing review process, which will be disclosed in the coming days.
“Members of the public are assured that the item has been deleted from the list of requirements in the ongoing review exercise, which will be made public in the coming days.”
What to know
- The NDLEA further clarified that the directive for this requirement originates not from the NDLEA or Nigeria but from the “source countries” themselves.
- These nations have instituted stringent entry regulations aimed at safeguarding their borders against potential threats related to drug trafficking.
- As a result, the NDLEA acts as an enforcement agency to comply with these international demands, ensuring that Nigerians travelling to these specific countries can prove their legal standing regarding drug-related offences.
- In 2021, the NDLEA published a list of eight countries where this visa clearance certificate is mandatory for travelers. The countries on this list—Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Russia—are known for their stringent anti-drug laws and rigorous border control measures.
