Chinedu Eze
For many years the embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Lagos has been collecting visa fees in dollars instead of in naira, which negates Nigeria's policy on foreign currency usage in the country.
Further investigation shows that the Turkish visa fees
compared to visa fees of other embassies, including the European embassies in
Nigeria, are outrageously high.
THISDAY, which visited the embassy, learnt that until
recently the embassy was charging $300 for visa fees but the actual visa fee is
$60. Invariably, the rest of the money goes to the agency that processes the
visa application, known as Voya. After processing, Voya sends the applicant's
processed passport to the Turkish main embassy in Abuja.
But last week, in response to the federal government’s
request that embassies should stop collecting dollars for visa fees or any
other payments in Nigeria, the embassy announced to visa applicants that the
new visa fee was now was N827, 000.
One of the applicants, who introduced himself as shade
Aliyu, told THISDAY that there was indication that they were arbitrarily fixing
the visa price. He said obviously it was above the real visa fee and what they
did was just to pad the fee to jack it up to N827, 000.
“As a regular traveller to Turkey, because I am into
merchandise, I just noticed that visa fees at the embassy are increased
arbitrarily. From my findings, Turkish ambassy has not increased its visa for a
long time but between 2022 and 2023 the agency, Voya, has increased visa fee
from $250 to $300 and it is the same $60 that the embassy still collects,”
Aliyu said.
Another applicant who spoke to THISDAY, whose name is
Franklin Ihejirika, said that any time one comes to the embassy new rules are
introduced, which do not reflect on the embassy’s website.
“The first time I went to the embassy I had gone to the
Turkish embassy website that read the requirements for visa and I printed it
out, but when I came to the embassy at Victoria Island, Lagos, I was given new
conditions. They told me that they cannot accept dollars printed in certain
years, except the newer ones. They told me that if the dollar was folded they
would not collect it and if there is any external mark, even if it is a tiny
dot, almost invisible dot, they won’t take it.
“What I experienced is that the Nigerians who work there
purposely keep visa applicants in the dark about many things; so, when you come
they will reject your dollars so you will be forced to buy dollars from them at
outrageous exchange rate. They have another rule about your local government,
which is not contained in the website. So, when you come they tell you that you
must have the document written in particular way and because you cannot obtain
it elsewhere, you resort to getting it from the agents who stay around the
embassy. So, they use the embassy to extort Nigerians in a way that you cannot
help it, if really you desire to obtain visa from them,” the applicant said.
When THISDAY visited the embassy in Lagos, the security
official said that anyone who was not coming for visa would not have access to
the embassy and there was no one that was allowed to talk on behalf of the
embassy.
THISDAY visited those offering different businesses around
the embassy, some hid their business in vans; but now that Nigerian has banned
the payment of visa fee in dollars, those who offered foreign exchange have
become irregular but one of them told THISDAY in confidence that they would be
back.
"We shall come back. I am sure this embassy will not
collect naira for a long time, especially with the way naira is fluctuating.
Very soon they will reverse to the old system. Many years they have collected
dollars even when government people come here they pay in dollars. Some of them
will complain but they will pay in dollars. We are just waiting. They have to
go back to dollars because if you call the naira equivalent as the cost of the
visa it will seem too much," he told THISDAY.
Early in May, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) read its riot act to foreign missions based in Nigeria, banning them
from transacting in foreign currencies, and mandating the use of Naira in their
financial businesses.
The EFCC also mandated Nigerian foreign missions domiciled
abroad to accept Naira in their financial businesses. The move, the EFCC noted,
was to tackle the dollarisation of the Nigerian economy and the degradation of
the Naira
The anti-graft commission, in an advisory to the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, titled: "EFCC Advisory to
Foreign Missions against Invoicing in US Dollar," expressed reservations
and displeasure regarding the unhealthy practice by some foreign missions to
invoice consular services to Nigerians and other foreign nationals in the
country in United States dollars.
Another applicant who gave his name as Tunji, told THISDAY
that what he has observed at Turkish embassy in Lagos was that everything was
designed to make money from applicants and the embassy is visibly run by
Nigerians.
According to him, the embassy officials are very fastidious
about your documents; so, they easily reject your documents and quickly tell
you where you can obtain another one and the provide most of the services.
"If they tell you that your hotel booking is not
correct that you have to get another one. As you are thinking how you can go
and get another one, the official will remind you that the business centre
behind the office can book hotel for you. If they reject your passport
photograph, somebody at the business centre will take you a sharp one and their
prices are very high. You may not know that you need local government of origin
identification certificate because it is not in the requirement you will read
in their website. When you become exasperated, somebody outside the office will
help you procure it for you at exorbitant price. That is the way they role.
"Now, they even require letter of self-introduction for
some applicants. My thinking is that the Nigerian system allows them to be
exploiting Nigerians. Compared to other embassies, you feel you are being
financially sapped at the Turkish embassy. I don't know whether they could be
called to order or it is part of the autonomy and diplomacy freedom they
enjoy," the applicant told THISDAY.
However, a senior Immigration official told THISDAY that matters relating to embassy are under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but if such complaints are brought to Immigration, the agency would investigate it.