News Investigators/ The Presidency says President Bola Tinubu has never stopped issuance of five -year multiple-entry visas for U.S. citizens, in accordance with the principle of subsisting bilateral agreements and reciprocity.
The clarification is contained in a statement by the Presidential Spokesperson, 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.
Mr 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He said the e-visa replaced the outdated visa-on-arrival, which was inefficient and prone to abuse.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.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the U.S. government in it’s recent revised visa policy for Nigerian citizens, reduced non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visa categories—such as B-1/B-2 (tourist/business), F (student), and J (exchange)—to single-entry, three-month validity.
This marked a sharp departure from the previous two- to five-year multiple-entry visas that Nigerians were eligible to receive.
The changes took immediate effect, although existing visas issued before July 8 remain valid until their original expiration.
The U.S. government noted that visa reciprocity was a global standard that undergoes regular review and can be adjusted at any time, including changes in permitted entries and duration of validity.
NAN