The Nigerian government said that Ethiopia stopped allowing Nigerians to enter under its “visa on arrival” policy because of security concerns, an escalating political climate brought on by the Tigray War, and other factors.
This was revealed in a statement released on Thursday by the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They further stated that, in light of the current armed conflict, the action aims to improve border control of those entering Ethiopia.
The Foreign Ministry advised Nigerians planning to visit Ethiopia to obtain the necessary entry visas at the country’s embassy or via electronic visa (e-visa) through the Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) portal is located at www.evisa.gov.et.
“The suspension applies to nationals of all countries bearing Standard Passports, who seek entry into Ethiopia and not specifically targeted at Nigerians.
“The Ethiopian authorities have explained that the measure is aimed at better border control of the movement of persons into Ethiopia in view of the ongoing armed conflict in the Northern part of the country.”
However, they urged Nigerians transiting through the Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to obtain the necessary valid entry visa in order to enable them to access hotel facilities in the city. They added that Ethiopia’s move was temporary, contingent upon an improvement in the country’s security situation, and was not intended to replace Ethiopia’s open visa policy.
“The general public is invited to take note of the new visa regime of the Federal Government of Ethiopia and be guided accordingly.”
It was previously reported that Ethiopian Airlines informed its Nigerian travel partners via email that the country no longer issues visas upon arrival to any Nigerian nationals. Travel partners were urged to tell their clients of the change in policy.
