NDLEA removes controversial requirement for married women seeking visas

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has removed the now controversial requirement for married women to present a letter of approval from their husbands before being cleared for international travel.

The requirement was introduced as part of the NDLEA’s visa clearance process, a procedure required by some foreign countries to prove that you have not been convicted of any drug-related offences in Nigeria and reduce the incidence of drug trafficking.

Many critics who see the requirement as discriminatory claim that it violates women’s rights and reinforces gender inequality.

Hours after the criticism, NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, announced the change in the visa clearance process in a statement on Thursday.

Babafemi said the entire procedure for visa clearance is currently being reviewed.

He added that the requirement for married women to obtain spousal approval has since been “jettisoned” and that it will not be a non-mandatory item on the list.

“The inclusion of that item abinitio arose following some ugly developments in some source countries,” Babafemi explained.

The NDLEA spokesperson, however, assured the public 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.