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Nigeria To Impose Visa Restrictions On American Nationals
By Emmanuel Awosika
The Nigerian Immigration Service has said that Nigeria may impose visa restrictions on American nationals, in what seems like a retaliatory move by the Buhari-led government.
The announcement was made by the Comptroller-General of the NIS, Mohammed Babandede, while giving details on the new visa policy approved by President Muhammadu Buhari in February.
Earlier this year, the United States government had said it would stop issuing permanent residency visas to citizens of Nigeria, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, and Myanmar. However, they could still put in for other visa classes.
The NIS boss, speaking in an interview, said that the new visa policy was based on the principle of reciprocity. He explained that just like the US, Nigeria had the freedom to restrict anyone from entering the country.
“I can tell you that US is a country, it is a nation like Nigeria. They have the right to restrict who will enter their territory or not just like we can restrict US citizen or whomsoever from entering Nigeria,” he said.
However, Babandede explained that visa restriction was not necessarily the same thing as a ban. He said, “I want people to know that visa restriction is not a visa ban, it is a ban for people who want to take residency not people who want to go for short visits.”
