The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced a review of its visa clearance procedures.
A controversial requirement, which mandated married women to submit an approval letter from their husbands as part of the visa application process, sparked widespread debate on social media on Wednesday.
Many criticised the policy, describing it as outdated and discriminatory.
In response, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a notice on Thursday, stated that the provision had been removed as part of an ongoing review of the entire procedure.
The notice read, “The entire procedure for visa clearance issued by the NDLEA, as required by some countries, is currently under review, and the requirement for a married woman to present a letter of approval from her husband to travel is one of the items the Agency has since discarded as a non-mandatory requirement. The inclusion of this item initially arose due to certain unfavourable developments in some source countries.
“Members of the public are assured that this item has been removed from the list of requirements in the ongoing review, which will be made public in the coming days.”
In response, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a notice on Thursday, stated that the provision had been removed as part of an ongoing review of the entire procedure.
The notice read, “The entire procedure for visa clearance issued by the NDLEA, as required by some countries, is currently under review, and the requirement for a married woman to present a letter of approval from her husband to travel is one of the items the Agency has since discarded as a non-mandatory requirement. The inclusion of this item initially arose due to certain unfavourable developments in some source countries.
“Members of the public are assured that this item has been removed from the list of requirements in the ongoing review, which will be made public in the coming days.”
PUNCH
