Nigerian visa applicants accuse South African embassy of corrupt practices

By Mark Ogagan

Nigerian visa applicants are accusing the South African embassy in Nigeria of corrupt practices and indiscriminate visa denials.

Some of the applicants also alleged that the embassy, through its “agents,” de­mand an “unofficial” sum of N1.2 mil­lion before they could be issued an entry visa to the Southern African country.

One of those recently affected by this “unwritten policy” of the South African embassy in Nigeria was Ms. Florence Opia, a senior staff of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), who accused the embassy of unnecessarily denying her and other Nigerians visas to the country despite meet­ing all the requirements for visa issuance.

Opia, by her work as a former cabin crew, instructor and now inspector at NCAA, has travelled to over 50 countries and has also travelled to South Africa over 30 times within the period.

Opia explained that in Decem­ber 2024, she applied to travel to South Africa, prepared all the re­quired documents, including hotel booking, which was Holiday Inn Express Sandton-Woodmead with reservation confirmation number, 84815913.

According to her, after going through the interview process, somebody who claimed that he was a travel agent told her that if she did not pay the sum of N1.2 million she might not be granted the entry visa, a statement she said she ignored.

However, over a month after, February 4, 2025, to be precise when her passport was released to her by the South African embassy, Opia was denied entry visa.

She explained that the Depart­ment of Home Affairs, Republic of South Africa sent her a letter with the title, ‘Notice of Decision Adversely Affecting Right of Per­son,’ stating why she was denied the entry visa.

She explained that the embas­sy in Nigeria had refused her visa, claiming her documents lacked credibility with contradictory in­formation and invalid bank state­ments, among others.

The letter reads in part: “With reference to your application for visitor’s visa dated 20 December, 2024, you are in terms of provision of section 8 (3) of the Act, hereby notified that the decision is as fol­lows: Refused.

“The reasons for the decision are the following: Documents lack credibility, insufficient funds, contradictory information, inval­id bank statement, event, travel date no longer valid, no source of income on bank statement, bank statement not convincing, and ‘no guaranteed booking at the hotel’”.

But Opia debunked the reasons given above for her refusal of a South African visa by the embassy.