The Federal Government has urged Nigerians who have no compelling or urgent reason to travel to the United States to postpone their travel plans until the President Donald Trump administration’s policy on immigration is clear.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa gave this warning on Monday in a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Media, Abdurrahman Balogun.
The announcement comes in the wake of Nigerians having been denied entry into the US despite having valid visas.
The statement read: ‘‘In the last few weeks, the office has received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry US visas being denied entry and sent back to the Nigeria.
“In such cases reported to the office, such affected persons were sent back immediately on the next available flight and their visas were cancelled.”
She added that “no reasons were given for the decision by the US immigration authorities.”
The Presidential aide said that the statement “is only to advise Nigerians without any compelling or essential reasons to visit the US to consider rescheduling their trip until there is clarity on the new immigration policy.”
She, however, reminded Nigerians in the Diaspora to abide by the rules and regulations of their host countries and be good ambassadors of the country.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 27 to bar people from seven, Muslim-majority countries from travelling to the United States for 90 days.
It also stopped all refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees permanently. The ban caused global outrage, as well as chaos across the United States, before it was frozen by a legal ruling.
