Nigeria to impose reciprocal measures on US citizens after new visa rules

The Federal Government has said it may subject United States citizens seeking Nigerian visas to the same requirements recently imposed by the US on Nigerian applicants.

The development follows new US visa regulations requiring applicants to submit details of their social media history and other online activities.

Speaking on Monday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said, “We are aware of the development. I think it’s part of the new measures they informed us about before implementation. On things of this nature, the best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures.”

Ebienfa added that an inter-agency meeting will be convened to determine Nigeria’s coordinated response.

“The government will have an inclusive meeting that will involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and also our National Intelligence Agency, NIA. The stakeholders that are involved will have a meeting and agree on our best way to respond to it holistically,” he said.

The US Mission in Nigeria had previously announced that visa applicants must provide their user IDs, email addresses, usernames, handles, and telephone numbers used on all platforms over the past five years.

The Mission warned that failure to submit accurate information could result in visa denial and ineligibility for future entry into the United States.

The directive forms part of broader immigration tightening measures introduced by the US government to enhance national security, expanding earlier rules that applied mainly to international student visa applicants.

The Guardian