By Adesina Soyooye
The Federal Government has explained why the United States of America reduced the Visa validity of Nigerians from five years multiple entry to a ridiculous three months single entry.
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said that the new US Visa policy which restricts Nigerians to three-month visa validity stemmed ftom Nigeria’s refusal to accept 300 Venezuelan prisoners as demanded by US President Donald Trump.
Minister Tuggar explained this to Nigerians on Thursday when he spoke on Channels Television.
Nigeria’s seat of power, Aso Rock, had earlier, in a statement dismissed claims by the US that the visa decision was to reciprocate an earlier decision by Nigeria to impose a 90-day visa on American citizens.
The statement signed by main Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said: “Immediately after assuming office, President Tinubu’s administration issued a service-wide directive that Nigeria implement all bilateral agreements with other nations and adhere to the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.
“The Nigerian government has not deviated from granting U.S. citizens a five-year multiple-entry non-immigrant visa, just as the U.S. has continued to grant the same to Nigerians.”
But Tuggar revealed on Channels TV that: “The US is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prisons. It will be difficult for Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners.”
He said the excuse given by the US to impose a 90-day visa on Nigerians is just giving a dog a bad name to hang it.
Tuga: “We introduced an online electronic visa to save time instead of arriving before processing the visa. The online makes it easier. Our visa is not saying that every American is given only 90 days. We give more than three-year visa.
“It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept that.
“We have problems of our own, and we can’t accept Venezuela’s deportees for crying out loud. We already have 230 million people.
“These are some of the ongoing discussions, not just with Nigeria but with some other countries.
“We’re talking to the Americans and reminding them that we will also issue them the same way they issue five-year multiple-entry visas.
“What Nigeria has done that differs is simple. We used to have a visa at the point of entry that wasn’t running efficiently.
“We introduced online electronic visas that save time. With that, you don’t need to go through the challenge of time. On my laptop, I can apply for and get a Nigerian visa.
“First-time travellers, such as tourists, may find it easy, and they’ll want to come again.
“America is not correct to say their decision on the visa was based on reciprocity.
“Honestly, I don’t think Nigeria will be able to accept prisoners from Venezuela. And, I think it will be unfair to insist that Nigeria accept 300 deportees from Venezuela. This might just be the beginning.”
Onanuga in his statement emphasized that Nigeria has continued to grant five-year non-immigrant visas to Americans in line with existing bilateral agreements and the principle of reciprocity.
His words: “Contrary to misinformation and fake news circulating online, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has never stopped issuing five-year multiple-entry visas for U.S. citizens.
“Immediately after assuming office, President Tinubu’s administration issued a service-wide directive that Nigeria implement all bilateral agreements with other nations and adhere to the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.
“The Nigerian government has not deviated from granting U.S. citizens a five-year multiple-entry non-immigrant visa, just as the U.S. has continued to grant the same to Nigerians.
“A 90-day single-entry visa applies only to the newly introduced electronic visa (e-Visa), which is different from the traditional visa categories and is designed to streamline entry for tourists and short-term business travellers who prefer not to undergo standard embassy application process.
“The e-visa replaces the now obsolete visa-on-arrival, which was inefficient and often abused for extortion.
“The e-visa is a fast, online process that does not require the applicant to visit the embassy. Applicants receive the e-visa within 48 hours of submitting their application.
“The e-visa initiative is part of Abuja’s broader strategy to promote investment, tourism, and the ease of doing business in Nigeria while aligning with global best practices.
“Many countries around the world have adopted similar digital visa systems. While Nigeria currently offers an e-visa option to US citizens, the same gesture has not been reciprocated by the US for Nigerians.
“In the spirit of cooperation, mutual understanding, and partnership that have characterised the relationship between Nigeria and the United States over the decades, the Tinubu-led administration will continue to dialogue and engage with U.S. authorities to resolve any issues that have led to the recent developments.”
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