Onuesoke Calls for the Suspension of Visa on Arrival Policy
ABUJA/Nigeria: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has called for the suspension of visa on arrival policy for African countries recently pronounced by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Making the call for the suspension of the policy in Abuja on Saturday, the PDP Chieftain argued that Nigeria which is already over populated in view of the GDP/population ratio do not need immigrants to come to Nigeria to increase its population.
He wondered that despite the avalanche of socio economic problems in Nigeria including abysmal scale of unemployment President Buhari have decided to make Nigeria a free- for -all destination, adding that it is disturbing that the decision by Buhari on Visa-on- arrival policy was never discussed and agreed on by the Senate.
Onuesoke who queried the yardstick for justifying this decision considering the myriad of problems confronting this nation, argued that the policy will bring additional burden on already burdened nation of unemployment, insecurity and. infrastructure deficit among others.
The PDP Chieftain maintained that while Nigeria desperately needs to reduce her population, our president is inviting foreign riffraffs and criminals to come over into the country without any visa or any checking, stressing that it is rich countries with small population that can implement visa on arrival policy for the purpose of attracting immigrants.
Onuesoke stated that going by the recent President Buhari’s policies especially that of shutting the borders to protect Nigerian interests one was dumbfounded that he could even suggest the dangerous idea of throwing Nigeria border open to African immigrants by pronouncing visa on arrival policy.
Calling on National Assembly (NASS) to suspend the policy, Onuesoke stated, “Can the Presidency tell us just one thing Nigeria will consider beneficial from opening its doors to strangers majority of who are going to be refugees that will contribute only additional problems to the job market?”
He argued that opening our borders to foreigners will create an easy access for more terrorists to come in and destroy the country, adding that there are millions of things to be done to make the country better certainly no this visa free policy.
“On my view, it is only those who will pose security threat to Nigeria that will come from the Arab nations. The NASS should stop this policy before Nigerians will start regretting it,” Onuesoke appealed.
