- Safiu Kehinde
The Presidency has denied the reports alleging President Bola Tinubu’s withdrawal of the five-year multiple entry visas for the United States’ citizens.
This is coming under the heels of the US Department of States’ review of its visa policy which saw the reduction of the country’s non-migrant visa to single entry visas with three months validity.
The new policy which affected several countries, including Nigeria, was claimed by the US to be its form reciprocity to similar change of policies against its citizens by the affected countries.
As against the claims, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement issued on Thursday, explained that Tinubu never stopped the 5-year multiple-entry visas for US citizens.
Onanuga maintained that the President had since his assumption to office adhere to the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.
The Presidential spokesperson explained that contrary to the US claims, the recently introduced 90-day single-entry Visa validity period only applies to the newly introduced e-Visas.
This, according to Onanuga, is a short-term visa category for tourists and businesspeople who may not wish to undergo the standard visa application process and wait.
The Presidency pledged that the Tinubu-led administration will continue to dialogue and engage with US authorities to resolve any issues that have led to the recent developments which have been labelled unfavourable to Nigeria.
The statement read in part; “Contrary to misinformation and fake news circulating online, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has never stopped issuing 5-year multiple-entry visas for US citizens, in accordance with the principle of subsisting bilateral agreements and reciprocity.
“Immediately after assuming office, President Tinubu’s administration issued a service-wide directive that Nigeria implements all bilateral agreements with other nations and adhere to the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clearly stated the position of the Federal Government of Nigeria on the recent adjustment made by the United States’ non-immigrant visa policy for Nigerians.
“The Ministry and other senior government officials will continue to engage with the United States to address the unfavourable restrictions in a just and fair manner that reflects the mutual respect and partnership that so exist between our two friendly nations.
“We want to reiterate that the US government’s claim of reciprocity as the reason for its current visa policy towards Nigeria does not accurately reflect the actual situation.
“The Nigerian government has not deviated from granting US citizens a 5-year multiple-entry non-immigrant visa, just as the US has continued to grant the same to Nigerians.
“The 90-day single-entry Visa validity period only applies to the newly introduced e-Visas, a short-term visa category for tourists and businesspeople who may not wish to undergo the standard visa application process and wait.
“The e-visa replaces the now obsolete Visa-on-arrival, which was inefficient and often used as a means of extortion.
“The e-visa is a fast, online process that does not require the applicant to go to the embassy. Applicants receive the e-Visa within 48 hours of submitting their application.
“The e-visa policy aligns with President Tinubu’s efforts to boost investment, trade, and tourism in the country, as well as promote the ease of doing business for non-nationals. Moreover, e-visas are a widely adopted global policy in dozens of countries.
“Although Nigeria has an e-visa policy for citizens of the US and several other countries, the US has not reciprocated this gesture 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 US authorities to resolve any issues that have led to the recent developments.”