The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Thursday dropped its requirement asking married women to provide husband’s approval for visa clearance procedures.
The NDLEA had introduced a controversial requirement for married women seeking visas.
According to the agency, women must present a letter of approval from their husbands before being cleared for travel.
This stipulation was part of NDLEA’s updated visa requirements, which had sparked discussions about gender equality and individual autonomy.
In addition to the approval letter, married women were also required to submit a passport photograph as part of the application process.
Critics argue that this policy reflects outdated views on women’s rights and independence, potentially hindering their ability to travel freely. Many criticized the policy, calling it outdated and discriminatory.
@MsNwangwa on X said, “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?!”
@ Sylsweets also said, “Is a married woman a minor or /child? This is happening in 2024. 😅😅”
Also, a tweep, @Airtonnie said, “I got an Invitation from the UN to attend a conference this October. Lol, the country requires me to submit an NDLEA clearance cert as part of its visa requirements. When I saw the list alone for the NDLEA clearance I gave up. I’m not married but this was certainly the most annoying part
However, in its reaction, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a notice on Thursday, said the provision had been deleted in the ongoing review of the entire procedure.
The notice reads, “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.
“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.”
