ABUJA, Nigeria, April 11 (UPI) -- A Nigerian official says Britain's ban on visas for Nigerians ages 18 to 30 who want to visit the United Kingdom for the first time is very unfair.
"We enjoy a close relationship with the United Kingdom," Femi Fani-Kayode, special assistant to the Nigerian president on public affairs, told the BBC. "I don't think this is the way to strengthen ties between the two countries."
The British High Commission in Nigeria said visa applications have doubled in two years and it cannot deal with the increase.
The temporary ban is expected to continue until next year, while the office is reorganized to improve visa service, British officials said.
"If you open an immigration category, then people should have access to it," said Keith Best of the Immigration Advisory Service, a British charity which advises immigrants. "It's not their fault if there are inefficiencies in the system and (officials) can't deal with it."
