Travel Ban: No Reason to Postpone Your Trip to America - US Embassy Tells Nigerians in New Statement

In a new statement released on Wednesday, the United States Embassy in Abuja have said Nigerians with valid visa have no reason to postpone or cancel their trips to US, thereby debunking rumours making rounds online.

Official statement by U.S Embassy, Abuja

 

The United States Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday, allayed the fears of Nigerians about a possible travel ban, assuring that those with valid visas have no reason to either postpone or cancel their trips to their country.

 

The Embassy said in a one-paragraph statement which reads; “The U.S. Embassy in Abuja wishes to clarify that there is no reason for Nigerians with valid visas to postpone or cancel their travel to the United States."

“Nigeria is not named in the Executive Order on Immigration issued on March 6, and there is no prohibition against Nigerian lawful permanent residents or persons with a valid visa or other U.S. government authorization from entering the United States,” the statement added.

 

 

Recall that confusion had trailed a travel advisory issued on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Foreign Affairs and Diaspora), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, advising “Nigerians without any compelling or essential reasons to visit the U.S. to consider rescheduling their trips until there is clarity on the new immigration policy.”

 

However, in a counter advisory, less than 24 hours later, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, debunked the report that any Nigerian with full valid entry visa was denied entry to the U.S., adding that Nigerians should ignore the travel advisory and go about their normal business, assuring that Nigerians were free to travel to U.S.

“On the issue of Nigerians being turned back from the U.S., this is not the case. I am in touch with the U.S. Embassy and the Ambassador said no there was nothing of such nature. I can tell you to ignore any call or advice to reconsider travelling to the U.S. because there is no basis for that.

“We have absolutely no report whatsoever from the U.S. that people are being turned back from the U.S. or any of our consulate or any Nigerian that any of our people are being turned back,” he said.

 

Apparently suggesting Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa may have overstepped her brief, the minister said if there was any need for the government to speak on any external relations, it would have been from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Presidency that Nigerians would have heard from, as any other source was not government’s.

“The U.S. government has been reaching out to Nigeria. Nigeria is on no list and Nigerians are on no list ban by the U.S. government and it is always business as usual and very good business with the U.S. government.

“Anything you hear in respect of the U.S. is incorrect, so anyone that has valid document to go to the U.S. or any other country should please proceed to do so,” he said.