• Travel sector’ll adjust to new restrictions –NANTA president
By Chinelo Obogo
The Nigerian travel landscape is in the midst of a major shift.
The United States, one of the most popular destinations for Nigerians, recently reversed the validity of visas issued to three-month single entry as against five years with multiple entry windows, which Nigerian travelers hitherto enjoyed.
The sudden development has sent tongues wagging, raising questions about the sanctity of the reciprocity clause embedded in the bilateral agreements between both countries.
The implications of this policy reversal are legion, but chief among them are more expensive travels accentuated by more frequent and inconveniencing visa procurements.
The five-year tourist visa was a great incentive for Nigerians who leveraged it to travel frequently to the United States, as epitomised by full flights virtually all year round.
However, Daily Sun reckons that the shift in US policy sharply contrasts with the agreement announced by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, which promised five-year tourist visas for US citizens.
The 2023 agreement
The current confusion can be traced back to February 24, 2023, when Buhari’s administration announced that it had reached an agreement with the United States to extend tourist visa validity for both Nigerian and American citizens to five years. Then Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said the new policy applied to tourist visas, as well as visas for diplomats and government officials. The policy, he said, was the result of bilateral agreements between Nigeria and the US and was expected to take effect from March 1, 2023.
“As part of the bilateral agreement, the United States of America will implement a similar policy for Nigerians wishing to travel on tourist visas to the United States and for our diplomats and officials visiting the country. The United States will thus extend tourist visa validity for Nigerian citizens to five years,” Aregbesola’s statement read.
US swift implementation
Three days after Buhari’s administration made the announcement of the new policy, precisely on February 27, 2023, the US Mission announced that effective March 1, 2023, the same day Nigeria’s policy was to take effect, the US Mission said that visitor visa validity would increase from 24 months to 60 months for Nigerians who wanted to enter the United States temporarily for business and/or tourism. The visa validity extension allowed Nigerians to use the visa for 60 months to make short trips to the United States for tourism or business purposes before having to renew their visa. The visa application fee remained unchanged at $160.
Policy reversal
In June this year, the US added Nigeria to a list of 36 countries that could face travel restrictions if they failed to address various security and diplomatic concerns within two months. According to the State Department, Nigeria received nearly one-fifth of the non-immigrant visas issued by the US government in 2024 in Africa, and is second only to South Africa on the list of such visas issued for that fiscal year.
However, weeks after this information became public, there was no immediate response by the Federal Government to address it. This week, the administration of US President, Donald Trump, announced that it had reversed its previous policy which gave Nigeria a five-year validity period, multiple entry permissions, up to six months stay per visit, and simplified renewal processes. This new policy now gives just a three-month validity period, single entry only and reduced flexibility.
The US State Department justified this policy change, saying that it is part of a wider review of reciprocal non-immigrant visa policies. According to the department, the revision aims to “protect the integrity of U.S. immigration systems” and ensure compliance with new criteria that Nigeria must meet.
The reciprocity question
Daily Sun checked the website of the Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta, and its Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) section showed that Nigeria does not have five-year visas for US travelers. From the document seen by Daily Sun, the Short Stay Visa (SSV) available to US citizens are single entry (within six months), multiple entry (within one year), and multiple entry (within two years), but the column for multiple entry (within five years) had ‘NA’ (Not Available) written on it.
Though the federal government has responded to the new US policy, the pertinent question which it has not categorically addressed is whether the Buhari administration effectively implemented the five-year tourist visa policy for US citizens as claimed. If the policy was effectively implemented, on what basis did the US decide to impose stricter visa restrictions on Nigerian travelers despite the bilateral agreement? If the agreement was fully implemented by the immediate past administration, did the current administration of President Bola Tinubu quietly reverse it?
From Nigeria’s side, government officials expressed surprise at the US’s stance. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, pointed out that the US’s policy changes were likely driven by ‘long-term strategic interests rather than Nigeria’s recent visa policy actions.’
Also responding to the US actions, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced that he and others had a meeting with America’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills. Tunji-Ojo said on his X handle that the meeting was attended by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, and Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, and was aimed at strengthening ties between Nigeria and the US through a well-structured visa framework.
He said: “The discussions centered on visa reciprocity, with Ambassador Mills Jr. providing valuable insights into the revised protocol and its alignment with established practices to uphold the integrity of the visa process. The Ministry of Interior, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the US Mission in Nigeria agreed to strengthen collaboration, emphasising adherence to visa regulations and promoting responsible travel practices among Nigerian citizens. Our government will continue to ensure strict compliance across the board in key areas, including: Secure travel documents: Ensuring the issuance of secure travel documents with verified traveler identities; Visa overstay management and information sharing.”
Again, the Minister didn’t clarify whether the previous administration fully implemented the bilateral agreement it had with the US.
Impact on Nigerians
Reacting to the development, the president, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents (NANTA), Yinka Folami, told Daily Sun that the new restrictions would impact Nigerian travelers significantly. He said the single-entry visas would eliminate the possibility of multiple trips within the validity period and that it would increase the costs of travel as more frequent visa applications mean higher cumulative costs. He however stated that the Nigerian travel market would adapt to the changes.
He said: “This visa restriction would affect the travel market until Nigeria adjusts to it. If someone says he wants to limit my visit to his house, I don’t see it as a negative. What it means is that I’ll simply go to areas where I am welcome. The US has reasons why they want to restrict visa approval for Nigerians. I have always said that visa issues are government issues.
“When the US said their actions are based on reciprocity, maybe there is something that the government should check. But the bottom line is whether it would affect travel to America. Yes, in the long run it would if it continues because definitely, fewer people would have restricted access to US visas. Ordinarily, you carry an American visa for two or five years and it is multiple entry which means that you can use it anytime for the duration of the validity period. But with this new arrangement, your travel arrangement can only be targeted to the three months that you have. So, if you want to travel again, it means that you have to go back to the US embassy to start applying for a visa afresh. Without being a soothsayer, this policy would definitely affect travel to the US. It would affect travel from Nigeria, but I think it would just be the period of adjustment.
“Nigeria is a very adaptive travel market and we would adjust to the new policy. We are talking about Africa for Africa, so let us start looking for fun places to visit in Africa because there are many. When the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imposed a ban on Nigeria, everyone was screaming their heads off but we adjusted and now, a lot of people now go to Doha instead. I was telling someone that if you don’t welcome me to your house, I would not feel welcome. It is very simple. The UAE has even recently imposed even more visa restrictions on Nigeria but the truth is that the travel market has long moved on. We now have an alternative in Doha for the Middle East. It is the same way that we would create alternatives to the US and we are already working on it. We just came back from Gambia and Kenya and we are already selling them to Nigeria as tourist destinations.”
Tinubu never stopped 5-year visa for US citizens —Presidency
Meanwhile, the Presidency has said that President Bola Tinubu has never stopped issuance of five-year multiple-entry visas for US citizens, in accordance with the principle of subsisting bilateral agreements and reciprocity.
The clarification is contained in a statement by the Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday in Abuja.
He described the reports as false and misleading, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to existing bilateral agreements and diplomatic reciprocity.
Onanuga noted that immediately after assuming office, President Tinubu directed that Nigeria implement all bilateral agreements with other nations and adhere to the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had clarified Nigeria’s position following the U.S. government’s recent adjustment of its non-immigrant visa policy toward Nigerians.
The presidential aide said that senior officials would continue engaging with the U.S. to address restrictive policies based on mutual respect and partnership.
“We want to reiterate that the U.S. government’s claim of reciprocity as the reason for its current visa policy toward Nigeria does not accurately reflect the actual situation.
“The Nigerian government has not deviated from granting U.S. citizens a five-year multiple-entry non-immigrant visa, just as the U.S. has continued to grant the same to Nigerians,” Onanuga stated.
“He clarified that 90-day single-entry visas only apply to the newly introduced e-visa category.
“This category targets tourists and business visitors who prefer quicker, less cumbersome visa processing.”
He said the e-visa replaced the outdated visa-on-arrival, which was inefficient and prone to abuse.
“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.”
He said the policy aligned with President Tinubu’s agenda to promote trade, tourism, and ease of doing business in Nigeria.
He noted that many countries have already adopted similar digital visa processes.
In spite of Nigeria offering e-visas to U.S. citizens, Onanuga pointed out the U.S. has yet to reciprocate.
He assured that the Tinubu-led administration would continue to dialogue and engage with U.S. authorities to resolve any issues that led to the recent development.