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UK Moves To Reduce Visa Processing Time …As NIS Assures On Backlog Of Passport Clearance
Following the upsurge in visa applications across all visa routes, the United Kingdom has said it is working to reduce the current visa processing time.
The United Kingdom Visas and Immigration, in a statement made available by the British High Commission in Nigeria, yesterday, said the unpredictable demand was a result of the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
The United Kingdom Visas and Immigration added that standard visitor visa applications are taking on average six weeks to process.
“Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and global travel restrictions, UKVI are experiencing unpredictable demand across all visa routes.
“Standard visitor visa applications are taking on average six weeks to process. UK Visas and Immigration are working to reduce the current processing time as quickly as possible,” the UK Visas and Immigration stated.
The United Kingdom Visas and Immigration further said applicants should bear in mind the current situation when making travel arrangements.
“You will be contacted by the Visa Application Centre (VAC) when your passport is ready for collection. Please, do not attend the VAC until you have been invited to do so. Where there are extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency), we may consider expediting specific cases.
“However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If your request is exceptionally urgent, you can contact UK Visas and Immigration for help. Please, note that this is a chargeable service for overseas customers. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause,” the United Kingdom Visas and Immigration also stated.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has assured Nigerians that the issue of backlog of international passports in the country will be over soon, based on the introduction of enhanced e-Passport with polycarbonate data page and other security features, that has eliminated intermediaries, touts and agents in the application for new or renewal of passports.
The immediate past zonal coordinator, Zone F of NIS, comprising Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Kwara states, Mrs. Dora Amahian, gave the assurance in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of handing over ceremony to Dr. Loretta Oemi-Ockiya, who took over the task of coordinating Zone F of NIS from her, at the zonal headquarters, Ibadan, Oyo State capital, on Monday evening.
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had on December 20, 2021, had commissioned the Ibadan Production Centre for international passports, which is expected to serve Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and Kwara states.
He said it would take maximum of six weeks for Nigerians to obtain new international passports, while renewal of the passports would also take a maximum of three weeks.
Amahian, an Assistant Comptroller General(ACG), who is to resume as the Acting Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Planning Research and Statistics Directorate at the service headquarters in Abuja, said: “The problem that Immigration Service has all over the country is the issue of passport backlog, and very soon, that will be over, particularly with the introduction of the e-enhanced passport, which is a transparent process that does not allow any intermediary, touts, or agents to do it. You can do it yourself, by paying online. You don’t need anybody to do it for you. It is quite simple and the website is www.immigration.gov.ng.
“So, once you go online, make payment, you will pick the one that is applicable to you, whether it is new or re-issue. If it is re-issue you are doing, you will click on Reissue, you will fill the form. After filling the form, you will print it out and take it to Passport Office. It is a better kind of passport. It is of improved quality,unlike the ink one that we were using before; this is a technological-based one.”
Amahian, also noted that the Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) have been very supportive, appealing to them to be more supportive to NIS.
“The governors in this zone have been very supportive, particularly the governors in Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti. Oyo is not lagging behind either. He is pulling his weight. But I will urge them to please consider us as the image makers of the country. We are and we should be treated as such. We need them to reconsider our position. They should not be saying the NIS belongs to the Federal Government. Yes, we work for the Federal Government. But at the same time, we are in the states to issue facilities to their citizens.
“So, that is why they should at least accord us more respect, more regard, and at the same time, help us in setting things. I won’t say they should come and fund the federal service organisation. But they know what to do.”
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had lauded the courage and commitment of troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.
Abubakar gave the commendation during a morale-boosting visit to the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, in Abuja.
The CAS said their sacrifices were etched in the history of the nation, and in the hearts of millions of Nigerians who sleep safer because of the troops’ vigilance.
He emphasised that their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity have not gone unnoticed, saying his visit underscored the vital role airpower plays in neutralising threats and protecting communities.
Abubakar pledged continued investment in cutting-edge technology to empower frontline units.
According to him, the NAF remains steadfast in its mission, guided by leadership, strengthened by unity, and driven by the selfless service of its personnel.
The visit comes at a critical moment, reinforcing the importance of public support for military operations and spotlighting the human element at the heart of national defence.
Nigeria’s soft drinks and beverage market continues to show strong growth potential, making it the leading consumer of soft drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
A statement by the VDMA disclosed during a press conference held in Lagos ahead of drinktec 2025, that Nigeria consumed over 53 billion litres of soft drinks in 2024, placing it well ahead of other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.
Despite challenges such as inflation and a weakening naira, Nigeria’s growing population, rising urbanisation, and expanding middle class are key factors driving demand in the beverage sector.
Bottled water led the segment with 48.7 billion litres sold in 2024, a figure projected to rise by 27% to 62 billion litres by 2028.
Carbonated soft drinks followed with 3.4 billion litres, expected to reach 4.4 billion litres by 2028, while energy drinks are forecasted to grow by 30% over the same period. Juices, though relatively small, are also on an upward trajectory.
“The Nigerian beverage market is expanding quickly due to increasing accessibility and affordability,” VDMA stated, citing data from Euromonitor International.
Set to take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025, drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.
VDMA, a key exhibitor and technical partner for the event, revealed that Nigerian participation is expected to be strong, especially as the country anticipates economic recovery.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has condemned the recent ban placed on a song by Nigerian musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, describing the development as a return to the culture of censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.
Abdulkareem had waxed a song titled “Tell Your Papa” which criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, yesterday, Soyinka criticised the action and its wider implications, saying it echoed past attempts to stifle artistic and socio-political commentary in Nigeria.
“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship with the banning of the product of a music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem,” Soyinka said in the piece posted on PM news.
He expressed irony in suggesting that the ban did not go far enough, stating, “It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned – the musician himself should be proscribed. Next, PMAN, or whatever musical association of which Abdulkareem is member, should also go under the hammer.”
Soyinka noted that he had not listened to the banned song but stressed that the issue transcends content and concerns a fundamental democratic principle.
“It cannot be flouted. That, surely is basic. This is why I feel that we should look on the bright side of any picture and thus recommend the Aleshinloye cartoon – and others in allied vein – as an easy-to-apprehend, easy-to-digest summation of the wisdom of attempting to stifle unpalatable works of art or socio-political commentary,” he said.
He also pointed out the irony that censorship often benefits the targeted artist.
The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,” he added.
The literary icon warned that such censorship was not only counterproductive but also dangerous to democratic development.
“We have been through this before, over and over again, ad nauseum. We know where it all ends. It is boring, time-wasting, diversionary but most essential of all, subversive of all seizures of the fundamental right of free expression,” Soyinka said.
He warned that the ban creates “a permissive atmosphere of trickle-down power,” where state authorities feel emboldened to clamp down on dissent.
Soyinka’s statement also touched on broader issues of impunity and mob violence in Nigeria, lamenting the recent lynching of 19 youths in Edo State.
“My heart goes out to friends, colleagues and families of victims and traumatised survivors of this senseless slaughter. Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he said.
Referencing the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, Soyinka criticised the culture of impunity, saying, “Identified killers were set free to gloat, and paste their photos on the Social Media… in full daylight glare, in the presence of both citizen voyeurs and security forces.”
He called for accountability, warning that “as long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy in any given cause, such gruesome assaults on our common humanity will continue to prevail.”
Soyinka concluded by urging the relevant regulatory body to reverse what he described as a “petulant irrationality,” warning that any government that only tolerates praise-singers “has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss.”