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'Why?' - Nigerians Question NDLEA's Visa Clearance Rule Targeting Married Women

Thompson Nsisongabasi

Oct 11, 2024

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Nigerians criticize the NDLEA for requiring married women to present their husband's consent before obtaining visa clearance.

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Nigerians have questioned a National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) visa clearance requirement that obligated married women to submit a letter of consent from their husbands before travelling.

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As seen on its website, the agency had this among the list of requirements for clearance:

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Married woman should bring a letter of approval to travel (with passport photograph) from the husband.

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This prerequisite deemed discriminatory against married women went viral after some women's rights advocates raised the alarm on X.

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A screenshot of the list of requirements. Source: NDLEA website

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Around 8:00 am on Thursday,X user @MsNwangwa made a post on the issue:

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NDLEA's visa clearance requires that a married woman should bring a letter of approval to travel from her husband along with his passport photograph. There is no such rule for men. This is such disgusting government-sponsored misogyny. Are married women children? When some younger Nigerian women reject marriage and say it's because they don't want their identity to be subsumed under that of a man's, people accuse them of saying rubbish but look at this foolishness entrenched by governmental institutions.

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Following the outrage that trailed this post, the anti-trafficking agency released a notice via its X page about four hours later, stating that the item had been deleted.

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"The entire procedure for visa clearance issued by the NDLEA as required by some countries is currently undergoing review and the requirement for a married woman to present a letter of approval from her husband to travel is one of the items that the Agency has since jettisoned as a non-mandatory item on the list,ÔÇØ stated the NDLEA.

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"The inclusion of that item ab initio arose following some ugly developments in some source countries. Members of the public are assured that the item has been deleted from the list of requirements in the ongoing review exercise, which will be made public in the coming days.ÔÇØ

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The public notice. Source: NDLEA's X page.

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Although the agency claimed it had been yanked off the list, while our reporter was filing this report on Thursday afternoon, the requirement was still on the website.

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While condemning the discriminatory requirement for married women, many X users wondered why it was ever necessary in the first place.

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For @Oluomoofderby, an X user, such a condition reflects a backward mindset. He wrote, "Whoever came up with the idea at the NDLEA should be ashamed of themself and sacked. Very backwards mindset.ÔÇØ

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@Ms_Ojo also wrote in response to the NDLEA statement, "You people NEED to remove it from your website and the paper you print out. Until then, this is a hoax.ÔÇØ

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"What business, rights do you have to meddle into married people's affairs amid the unprecedented hardship, suffering in the country?ÔÇØ @HakunaOyinz said.

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@IsraelNduoma responded, "It doesn't make sense to compel married women to get consent letters from their husbands before travelling. This will amount to rights infringement.ÔÇØ

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"Good! Should've never been a requirement in the first place. Do better!ÔÇØ @jennie__dan noted.

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Some reactions from X users.

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"To have included it to begin with is quite embarrassing. Don't you people think over there? So backward and archaic to even entertain such a retrogressive idea. Shame on you guys,ÔÇØ said @NaijaHighLord.

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Meanwhile, FIJ found some opposing views from their fellow X users like @nosikeomenukor who said, "This is what happens when institutions capitulate to public nuisance. Dear NDLEA, are you aware that some women run with their kids to the US or Europe just to punish their husbands?ÔÇØ

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Other commentators have pointed out the fact that the clause should have applied to both genders. Comments with similar sentiments questioned why the NDLEA requirement only targeted women, making an argument that the clause was sexist.

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— Thompson Nsisongabasi

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