President Muhammadu Buhari has set a committee, chaired by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, to study and address updated U.S. requirements relating to the assessment of compliance with certain security criteria by foreign governments.
Buhari took action following the visa ban slammed on Nigeria by the United States.
The proclamation, signed by President Donald Trump on Friday, is expected to take effect on February 22.
Reacting, a statement by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media, said the committee would work with the U.S Government, INTERPOL, and other stakeholders to ensure all updates were properly implemented.
“For Nigeria, the restriction is the suspension of the issuance of “immigrant visas” to Nigerian passport holders only. This suspension shall come into effect on February 21 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 specific 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,” it added.
