The Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism’s (ANJET) conference for 2026, holding at Radisson Blu, Ikeja, Lagos in October with the theme: Nigerian tourism industry and the Tinubu administration’s immigration reforms, will beam the searchlight on the immigration reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration that came into effect in 2025. It is being implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) under the supervision of the Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

According to the association in a press statement, the choice of this year’s theme is predicated on the importance of immigration and visa policies of a country to the development of tourism. Participants and key industry practitioners and officials from the NIS will look at why the immigration reform became necessary, and whether the Tinubu administration’s sweeping reforms have addressed the challenges. How has this impacted on Nigeria’s tourism fortune? How has the new visa regime helped to solve problem of tourists’ difficulties in getting Nigerian visa? It will also discuss how the visa reforms have affected seamless access into Nigeria through Nigeria’s international border posts-air, land and sea.

Among the panelists to discuss the theme are: Dr. Yinka Folami, President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA); Hajia Bolaji Mustapha, National President, Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), and others.

Prior to 2025, Nigerian immigration protocol was inchoate and almost chaotic. Tourist visitors for both leisure and business were finding it difficult to visit Nigeria. Getting visa appointments and Nigerian visas was not easy. Even when the visa-on-arrival system was introduced, it was still harrowing for visitors coming into Nigeria.

At Nigeria’s entry points, most especially land borders and airports, visitors found it difficult navigating the different points before entering the country, and are at times subjected to opaque levies and outright extortion.

To tackle these and other anomalies in Nigerian immigration protocol, the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decided to embark on immigration reforms under the Ministry of Interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). The changes the reform brought were far reaching.

Key pillars of the reform include streamlining the visa regime. From May 1, 2025, Nigeria introduced a new visa system that reduced total visa categories down from 79 to 44 types to simplify application pathways for international visitors and foreign investors. Also, the country started implementing a fully electronic visa (e-Visa) system through the Nigeria Immigration Service to replace older visa-on-arrival processes, cut down visa categories from 79 to 44, and introduce digital landing and exit cards to track movement and curb overstays.

There was also the Expatriate Quota and Residency Integration that links company quota approvals directly to a digital platform for real-time residence permit (e-CERPAC / e-TWP) processing, removing middlemen and cutting processing loops. The aim was to streamline applications for new expatriate quotas, renewals, and facility changes online.

The reform also introduced digitalization and automation of paperless e-visas with QR codes and digitized landing/exit cards to reliably track traveler duration and curb overstays.

The Nigeria Immigration Service launched a fully digital e-Visa system and automated landing and exit cards on May 1, 2025. This reform replaces old manual processes and the former visa-on-arrival scheme for short-stay visits (30 to 90 days), providing online approvals within 48 hours and streamlining airport border controls.

These and many other key aspects of the Tinubu administration’s immigration reform would be in focus at the conference.