The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has been appointed the Chairman of a committee to review, study and address the requirements put up by the United States of America (USA) in naming Nigeria among the six countries placed on temporary travel restrictions.
A statement on Saturday, 1 February, 2020, by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adeshina, stated that the committee is expected to liaise and work with the US government, Interpol and other stakeholders to ensure that all updates are properly implemented, The Gazelle News.com can report.
The statement acknowledged the fact that the suspension is the issuance of immigrant visas to Nigerian passport owners only and the fact that the suspension shall come into effect on Friday, 21 February, 2020.
“The suspension does not apply to other U.S visas such as those for official, business, tourism and student travel.
“The DHS states the suspension of “immigrant visas” became necessary following a review and update of the methodology (performance metrics) adopted by the U.S Government to assess compliance of certain security criteria by foreign governments.
“This resulted in certain enhancements on how information is shared between Nigeria and the U.S.
“Nigeria remains committed to maintaining productive relations with the United States and its international allies especially on matters of global security,” the statement said.
The Gazelle News.com also report that on Friday, 31January 2020, the United States (U.S) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced temporary travel restrictions on six countries including Nigeria.
