The federal government yesterday warned foreign missions in Nigeria demanding payment for visas and consular services in foreign currencies to stop the practice forthwith.
The practice, it said, violated Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, at a meeting with members of the diplomatic corps in Abuja, described the practice as unacceptable and illegal.
She said: “It has come to our notice that some diplomatic and consular missions in Nigeria choose to charge visa and other consular fees in foreign currencies. This is totally unacceptable and must be stopped forthwith.
“Charging fees in foreign currencies is an illegal act that clearly violates the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. No self-respecting nation can accept such a flagrant assault on the symbol of its nation-hood.”
The British High Commission in Nigeria recently announced that payment for visa applications would only be accepted in dollars, using Verve debit card, Visa, Master Card credit, debit cards or the e-wallet PAGA.
In a statement to announce the new practice, the high commission had said: “The move to online application and payments will deliver a streamlined application process consistent with a wider global trend to online transactions and payments which met the requirements of the UK Government’s digital by default initiative.
Other embassies such as the United States and German accept their visa fees in naira equivalent of the amount specified in their currencies.
