- National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the removal of a controversial visa requirement mandating married women to submit spousal approval letters
- Critics denounced the controversial visa requirement as discriminatory, prompting the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to act
- Spokesperson Femi Babafemi addressed visa policy changes as part of an ongoing review of visa procedures
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced a review of its visa clearance procedures.
Following widespread criticism, Femi Babafemi, the agency’s spokesperson, announced on Thursday, October 10 that the requirement that married women submit an approval letter from their husbands as part of the application process had been removed amid an ongoing review of the overall visa clearance process.
NDLEA confirms removal of husband approval letter from clearance process
The announcement 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.”
Critics label NDLEA’s husband's approval letter as outdated and discriminatory
This came after widespread concern on Wednesday, October 9 over the controversial requirement. Many have taken to social media to denounce the policy as outdated and discriminatory.
The phased-out regulation required married women to obtain a letter of consent from their husbands before being granted travel clearance. In addition to a passport photograph and proof that you have not been convicted of any drug-related offences.
Netizens argued that the consent letter from the husband reinforced old-fashioned views on women’s rights and could unfairly restrict their freedom to travel without spousal consent.
NDLEA proposes drug tests for politicians, private workers, couples, others
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) launched the Drug Integrity Test programme, expected to transform into an anti-drug culture for all Nigerians as a preventive measure.
Nigerians reacted to the development, especially the categories of people listed.