[By Abigail Philip David]
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has scrapped its controversial requirement that married women must provide a letter of approval from their husbands to obtain a visa clearance certificate. This decision came after significant backlash on social media against the agency’s initial policy.
Previously, the NDLEA mandated that married women submit a “letter of approval to travel from their husband, attached with his passport photograph” as part of the visa clearance process. The visa clearance certifies individuals as having no drug-related convictions in Nigeria, a requirement set by some countries.
Responding to the public outrage, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi announced the removal of the requirement. Babafemi stated, “The entire procedure for visa clearance issued by the NDLEA is currently under review, and the need for a married woman to present a letter of approval from her husband has been eliminated from the list of mandatory items.”
He explained that the initial inclusion of the requirement arose due to certain incidents in other countries, but assured the public that the rule has now been deleted. The updated visa clearance process will be made public once the review is complete.
