Recently, there has been an increase in the difficulty for Nigerians to travel abroad for tourism due to stricter visa requirements imposed by various countries.
Although the reasons for these stringent e-visa requirements
are not always clear, they have undoubtedly resulted in significant financial
losses, missed opportunities, and wasted time for many Nigerians.
One country that has come under particular scrutiny for
allegedly implementing such measures is Ethiopia. The Ethiopian embassy has
been accused of defrauding Nigerian travelers by accepting payments for e-visas
without issuing them or providing refunds.
Travelers have expressed frustration with the embassy’s “deceptive”
practices, as they were not informed that online visa applications had been
discontinued. Despite this, the embassy’s official website continued to accept
applications without any indication that Nigerians were no longer eligible for
e-visas.
It has come to our attention that the visa application
portal, after receiving payment from visa applicants, leaves them in a state of
uncertainty, thereby undermining the very purpose of the application process.
Several individuals impacted by the recent development
expressed their concerns to Sunday PUNCH, while others voiced their
frustrations on social media platforms.
It is Important to note that the embassy did not provide any
prior notification regarding the cessation of e-visa issuance to Nigerian
passport holders.
Commuter’s experience
One of the impacted individuals, who chose to remain
anonymous, reported that despite multiple deductions for an application and
contacting the visa support team, a refund has not been issued since February.
In a conversation with our correspondent, the aspiring
travel blogger recounted spending $247 on Ethiopian e-visas without receiving
them.
He said, “I’m a new travel vlogger and planned to visit
Ethiopia and Tanzania earlier this year. According to the information provided
on their official website and IATA guidelines, I tried to apply for an e-visa
on their e-visa portal but was unable to pay for days.
“I sent an email regarding the challenge with payment, and
their support team, who responded to my query, told me to continue trying
because everything was good from their end.
“I eventually got someone to use his UK debit card to pay
for me. After multiple attempts, the payment eventually went through, and I was
even debited twice for one application. I appealed for a refund for the
erroneous debit on the platform but my emails were never responded to.”
The travel blogger continued by stating that typically, the
e-visa process should require only a few days or, at most, a couple of weeks
for issuance; however, he found himself waiting without any results.
Adventures of Ijoba reported that he had paid $82 and an
additional $164, which accounted for a double charge, bringing the total to
$246.
He further noted that six months following this incident, he
had not received a refund nor had he been issued an e-visa.
He said, “When it was about two weeks to my departure date,
I had to travel to the Ethiopian embassy in Abuja to complain. The Ethiopian
embassy’s representative informed me that e-visas had been discontinued for
Nigerians. I asked for a refund and was told that the platform is managed by a
different department and they could not assist me with that.”
As observed in the case of Adventures of Ijoba, a prominent
technology specialist named Victor Asemota encountered a comparable
predicament.
On July 25, utilizing his handle @asemota on X.com, he
provided a detailed account of his arduous experience. He disclosed that he
incurred an expenditure of $82 while attempting to obtain an Ethiopian e-visa,
but unfortunately, he never received the visa.
He wrote, “What is really the problem between Ethiopia and
Nigeria? They just let me waste another $82 on a visa they knew they were not
going to issue. This is fraudulent, and they should refund it.
“If you are not issuing visas to Nigerians, say it openly
without fear instead of taking our money and doing nothing. This is a 419 scam
by the whole country.”
Another user, @jime_marvel, shared her experience on X.com. “They
took my money last year and had zero communication.”
In addition, another user, @folucomms, provided a response
to the development, stating that… “Ethiopia won’t respond to you if you pay for
a visa online as a Nigerian, and they don’t refund (I hope this changes soon).
To get an ET, you need to go to their embassy.
“If you’re going for any official reasons, make sure you
request a note verbale from those you’re going to meet with. With a note
verbale, you can get a visa on arrival for about $200.”
Multiple travel agents confirmed to Sunday PUNCH that
Ethiopia visa applications must be submitted in person at the embassy in Abuja.
Ethiopian Visa Issue
In late September 2022, the Ethiopian embassy in Abuja
implemented a new regulation affecting Nigerian travelers.
It declared the termination of its visa-on-arrival policy
for Nigeria and an additional 41 countries.
The embassy recommended that travelers obtain their visas
directly from the embassy in Abuja or apply for an e-visa via the Immigration
and Citizenship Service portal of Ethiopia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesperson, Francisca
Omayuli, stated in a press release that, “Nigerians bearing standard passports
intending to travel to Ethiopia are advised to obtain appropriate entry visas
at the Ethiopian Embassy or an electronic visa through the country’s
Immigration and Citizenship Service portal at www.evisa.gov.et.
“Also, those transiting through Bole International Airport,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to other destinations or intending to briefly stop over
would require a valid entry visa to access hotel facilities in the city or
would be obligated to remain in the airport pending their connecting flight.”
Regarding the recent development, Senait Ataklet, the
traffic and sales manager of Ethiopian Airlines, provided clarification to The
Cable, an online platform. Ms. Ataklet emphasized that the new measure does not
constitute a ban but rather replaces the previous visa-on-arrival policy with
an online visa application process.
The manager said, “The information I have is that it’s not a
ban on arrival visas, but you know just like a Nigerian requesting, they need
an online form to be filled out before departure for an on-arrival visa. Even
though it’s an arrival visa, you need to fill out an online form.
“Before, anybody could just go without applying, but when
Ethiopians come to Nigeria, they need to fill out the online form on arrival.
That’s the agreement, that’s what they are telling me now. They need to fill
out an online visa-on-arrival requisition form.”
As of August 2024, the Nigerian passport ranks 92nd,
granting access to 45 countries through either e-visa options or visas on
arrival, as reported by the Henley and Partners official passport index.
Although Ethiopia remains classified as a country offering
e-visas, the recent experiences of Nigerian citizens have diverged from this
classification.
Nearly two years into the implementation of the new visa
policy, Nigerian travelers, who previously enjoyed a smooth process for e-visa
applications, have encountered difficulties; despite their applications and
payments being processed, they are not receiving the visas.
Concerning Finding
Investigations conducted by our correspondent on the
official website of the Ethiopian embassy revealed no notifications informing
Nigerians that they can no longer submit applications for e-visas.
Prior to initiating the application process, it was
mandatory to accept the terms and conditions, which specified that all payments
are non-refundable and managed by the Ethiopian Airlines Group.
Additionally, the website listed countries from which
payments would not be accepted.
The terms explicitly stated that credit card transactions
from Cuba, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan, South Sudan,
the Crimea region of Ukraine, and the Syrian Arab Republic would not be
processed, effective November 18, 2020.
Notably, there was no indication that Nigeria was excluded from this list. Our correspondent's attempt to apply for a visa was successful, with no issues or notifications regarding the unannounced restriction on e-visa applications for Nigerian passport holders.
Furthermore, a review of the International Air Transport
Association's website, which represents approximately 240 airlines and accounts
for 84 percent of global air traffic, confirmed that visas could be obtained
prior to departure via the official Ethiopian government website –
https://www.evisa.gov.et/ – and that travelers are required to possess a
printed visa approval before their departure.
However, this has not been the case for Nigerian travelers,
who have expressed their dissatisfaction regarding the lack of communication
from the embassy following their payments, as they have neither received their
visas nor any refunds.
A review of the Ethiopian Embassy's official Facebook page,
the X handle of the Ethiopian Embassy in Abuja, and the @EthioEmbassyNG website
revealed that no announcements were made concerning the recent travel
restrictions affecting Nigerian citizens.
Additionally, emails sent to the address provided on their
Facebook page on July 26 and 30 have yet to receive a response. The same
situation applies to the visa support email address, to which another inquiry
was directed.
When approached for comment regarding the alleged fraudulent
activities associated with the Ethiopian embassy, the spokesperson for the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb Eche Abu-Obe, stated via text message,
"This matter needs to be clarified by the Consular section first."