The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has clarified that married women no longer require letter of approval from their husbands to travel abroad.
According to the commission,the requirement has been dropped in an ongoing review of the entire procedure for visa clearance issued by the agency.
The NDLEA made the clarification in a statement released on Thursday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA National Headquarters, Abuja.
The requirement had sparked discussions about gender equality and individual autonomy on social media. In addition to the letter of approval from the husband, a married woman was also required to submit his passport photograph.
However, NDLEA explained that the inclusion of that item abinitio arose following some ugly developments in some source countries. The agency confirmed the requirement has been jettisoned.
The statement 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 abinitio 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”.
