Visa Reciprocity and Nigeria’s Management of Foreign Nationals: Policy and Practice

This study examines Nigeria's visa policy framework and its management of foreign national entry and residence, assessing the extent to which reciprocity principles, bilateral agreements, and administrative capacity shape Nigeria's visa regime and its implications for trade, investment, and diplomatic relations. Nigeria's visa policy has been a recurrent source of diplomatic friction, with complaints from both African states subject to mandatory visa requirements and Western countries whose nationals face high visa fees and complex documentation requirements. Drawing on liberal institutionalism and immigration policy theory, this research analyses the structure and implementation of Nigeria's visa categories from 2019 to 2024, examining the impact of the e-Visa system launched by the Nigeria Immigration Service on processing efficiency and diplomatic relations. The study employs a qualitative methodology, drawing on Nigeria Immigration Service annual reports, bilateral diplomatic correspondence, foreign investor surveys, and interviews with immigration officials. The research pays particular attention to visa-on-arrival schemes for African nationals and the gap between policy announcements and operational implementation. Findings are expected to show significant gaps between Nigeria's stated openness to regional mobility under AfCFTA and ECOWAS free movement protocols and its restrictive administrative practice. Recommendations address alignment of visa policy with diplomatic and economic strategy. Keywords: visa policy, Nigeria, immigration, reciprocity, AfCFTA.