Nigerians May Get Free Visas To D8 Countries

A call has been made to the developing eight countries called D8 to ensure unhindered movement of people and trade among member countries.

On Wednesday, in Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, urged the group to cancel visa requirement among the members of D8.

Countries under the group include Nigeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.

Mohammed, who spoke when Secretary General of the organisation, Dr Seyed Ali-Mohammed, visited him in Abuja, pointed out that if the group hopes to succeed, “they must make sure that there is no barrier in term of visa among those eight countries.”

“You cannot grow any trade talk less of tourism, if I cannot have easy access to Malaysia, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan.

“You can imagine the volume of trade that will develop over night if only you can make sure that if I want to go to Iran that there is bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Iran, between Nigeria and Pakistan and among those eight countries that there will be free movement of people.

“It is free movement of people that will guarantee free movement of trade.

“So, this is one area that I believe that you need to work hard on,” he observed.

In his remarks, Ali-Mohammed said the purpose of his visit was to intimate the minister about the organisation’s resolve to focus on tourism development as the area of cooperation among member countries.