Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar has dismissed U.S. pressure on Nigeria to accept deported Venezuelans, many of whom are ex-convicts, stating Nigeria “has enough problems of its own.” Speaking on Channels TV, Tuggar called the request unfair and warned it could lead to further demands.He also addressed U.S. visa restrictions on Nigerians, denying claims of reciprocity issues, and clarified that many Americans still receive long-term Nigerian visas. Tuggar added that Nigeria continues to engage diplomatically with the U.S. on both matters.
This came few days later after the U.S. Department of State has reversed its five-year visa policy for Nigerians seeking non-immigrant and non-official trips to America and will henceforth grant only three-month visas to applicants in these categories, in reciprocity for what was described as the same treatment American citizens get from the Nigerian government.
A memo released by the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria on Tuesday evening stated that President Donald Trump’s administration is reducing the five-year visa to only three months to curb visa overstays.
It noted that visas issued before Tuesday, July 8, remain valid and will not be affected by this policy.
Non-immigrant categories, which include tourism and business visas, constitute the substantial bulk of annual approvals for Nigerian citizens.
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