For a few years the embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Lagos has been amassing visa charges in {dollars} as an alternative of in naira, which negates Nigeria’s coverage on overseas foreign money utilization within the nation.
Additional investigation reveals that the Turkish visa charges in comparison with visa charges of different embassies, together with the European embassies in Nigeria, are outrageously excessive.
THISDAY, which visited the embassy, learnt that till not too long ago the embassy was charging $300 for visa charges however the precise visa payment is $60. Invariably, the remainder of the cash goes to the company that processes the visa software, generally known as Voya. After processing, Voya sends the applicant’s processed passport to the Turkish most important embassy in Abuja.
However final week, in response to the federal authorities’s request that embassies ought to cease amassing {dollars} for visa charges or another funds in Nigeria, the embassy introduced to visa candidates that the brand new visa payment was now was N827, 000.
One of many candidates, who launched himself as shade Aliyu, advised THISDAY that there was indication that they have been arbitrarily fixing the visa value. He mentioned clearly it was above the actual visa payment and what they did was simply to pad the payment to jack it as much as N827, 000.
“As an everyday traveller to Turkey, as a result of I’m into merchandise, I simply observed that visa charges on the embassy are elevated arbitrarily. From my findings, Turkish ambassy has not elevated its visa for a very long time however between 2022 and 2023 the company, Voya, has elevated visa payment from $250 to $300 and it’s the similar $60 that the embassy nonetheless collects,” Aliyu mentioned.
One other applicant who spoke to THISDAY, whose identify is Franklin Ihejirika, mentioned that any time one involves the embassy new guidelines are launched, which don’t mirror on the embassy’s web site.
“The primary time I went to the embassy I had gone to the Turkish embassy web site that learn the necessities for visa and I printed it out, however once I got here to the embassy at Victoria Island, Lagos, I used to be given new situations. They advised me that they can’t settle for {dollars} printed in sure years, besides the newer ones. They advised me that if the greenback was folded they’d not gather it and if there’s any exterior mark, even when it’s a tiny dot, virtually invisible dot, they will not take it.
“What I skilled is that the Nigerians who work there purposely preserve visa candidates in the dead of night about many issues; so, if you come they’ll reject your {dollars} so you’ll be compelled to purchase {dollars} from them at outrageous trade charge. They’ve one other rule about your native authorities, which isn’t contained within the web site. So, if you come they inform you that you should have the doc written particularly manner and since you can not acquire it elsewhere, you resort to getting it from the brokers who keep across the embassy. So, they use the embassy to extort Nigerians in a manner that you just can not assist it, if actually you need to acquire visa from them,” the applicant mentioned.
When THISDAY visited the embassy in Lagos, the safety official mentioned that anybody who was not coming for visa wouldn’t have entry to the embassy and there was nobody that was allowed to speak on behalf of the embassy.
THISDAY visited these providing completely different companies across the embassy, some hid their enterprise in vans; however now that Nigerian has banned the cost of visa payment in {dollars}, those that supplied overseas trade have turn into irregular however one in all them advised THISDAY in confidence that they’d be again.
“We will come again. I’m certain this embassy won’t gather naira for a very long time, particularly with the best way naira is fluctuating. Very quickly they’ll reverse to the previous system. A few years they’ve collected {dollars} even when authorities folks come right here they pay in {dollars}. A few of them will complain however they’ll pay in {dollars}. We’re simply ready. They’ve to return to {dollars} as a result of when you name the naira equal as the price of the visa it is going to appear an excessive amount of,” he advised THISDAY.
Early in Might, the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) learn its riot act to overseas missions based mostly in Nigeria, banning them from transacting in foreign currency, and mandating using Naira of their monetary companies.
The EFCC additionally mandated Nigerian overseas missions domiciled overseas to just accept Naira of their monetary companies. The transfer, the EFCC famous, was to deal with the dollarisation of the Nigerian financial system and the degradation of the Naira
The anti-graft fee, in an advisory to the Minister of Overseas Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, titled: “EFCC Advisory to Overseas Missions towards Invoicing in US Greenback,” expressed reservations and displeasure concerning the unhealthy observe by some overseas missions to bill consular providers to Nigerians and different overseas nationals within the nation in United States {dollars}.
One other applicant who gave his identify as Tunji, advised THISDAY that what he has noticed at Turkish embassy in Lagos was that every little thing was designed to earn money from candidates and the embassy is visibly run by Nigerians.
Based on him, the embassy officers are very fastidious about your paperwork; so, they simply reject your paperwork and shortly inform you the place you’ll be able to acquire one other one and the present a lot of the providers.
“In the event that they inform you that your lodge reserving isn’t right that you need to get one other one. As you’re pondering how one can go and get one other one, the official will remind you that the enterprise centre behind the workplace can guide lodge for you. In the event that they reject your passport {photograph}, someone on the enterprise centre will take you a pointy one and their costs are very excessive. You might not know that you just want native authorities of origin identification certificates as a result of it isn’t within the requirement you’ll learn of their web site. While you turn into exasperated, someone outdoors the workplace will make it easier to procure it for you at exorbitant value. That’s the manner they position.
“Now, they even require letter of self-introduction for some candidates. My pondering is that the Nigerian system permits them to be exploiting Nigerians. In comparison with different embassies, you’re feeling you’re being financially sapped on the Turkish embassy. I do not know whether or not they might be known as to order or it’s a part of the autonomy and diplomacy freedom they take pleasure in,” the applicant advised THISDAY.
Nevertheless, a senior Immigration official advised THISDAY that issues referring to embassy are underneath the Ministry of Overseas Affairs but when such complaints are dropped at Immigration, the company would examine it.