Ogona Anita
The British High Commission shut down its 14-month-old UK visa Centre in Independence Layout, Enugu, on Tuesday 26 November.
The embassy gave no reason for the abrupt shutdown, but a statement by its visa-processing partner alluded to poor patronage.
The Port Harcourt Visa Centre equally came under the hammer the following day, the embassy said in a statement.
The Commission also changed the visa processing partner to a new company.
“All customers that had booked appointments in … (Enugu and Port Harcourt) were contacted ahead of these closure dates,” the new partner said.
The new partner also said it was “keen to expand in markets (that are) commercially viable and will assess locations other than Abuja and Lagos for future openings.”
With the shutdown of the visa processing centres at Enugu and Port Harcourt, the High Commission now restricts visa transactions to Lagos and Abuja.
There are two centres in Lagos, located at Ikeja and Victoria Island and one other in Abuja.
The embassy confirmed in the statement that “henceforth, only the VACs in Abuja and the two centres in Lagos (Ikeja and Victoria Island) will remain fully operational, and … continue to welcome UK visa applications from across Nigeria.”
Before Enugu UK Visa Centre was Shut
The UK opened the Enugu visa submission center on 13 September 2023.
It was located at the Omedel Luxury Hotel, 4/6 Link Road off Pax and Jakes Bus Stop, Independence Layout, Enugu.
The Centre offered a twice-a-week service and was described as “part of the UK government’s efforts to make it easier for Nigerians to apply for visas.’
It was also established “to benefit residents of South-east and South-south Nigeria.”
Before Tuesday’s hammer, the Enugu Centre was a premium location that cost NGN246,250.00 to use.
The partner advertised the fee to provide for a premium lounge appointment, courier return, SMS notifications, general customer support, and guidance.
At inception, the High Commission said it would man the center on trial for at least three months to assess service uptake and enable decisions on continuation
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