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The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has initiated plans to impose a general visa ban on Nigerians due to corruption in President Bola Tinubu’s administration and inadequate intelligence sharing between the two nations.
According to a memo from the State Department signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, The Washington Post reported on Saturday that 36 countries, including Nigeria, are being evaluated for potential visa restrictions to the U.S.
The Trump administration pointed to a lack of governmental transparency and insufficient databases for vetting the backgrounds of travelers from these nations as the rationale for the forthcoming ban, amid efforts to decrease immigration to the United States.
Some countries lack a capable central government to provide reliable identity documents or face "widespread governmental fraud," while others have many citizens who overstayed their visas in the U.S., as noted by the newspapers.
“The memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and distributed to U.S. diplomats dealing with the affected countries, stated that the governments of the mentioned nations have been given 60 days to meet newly established benchmarks and requirements from the State Department.
A deadline of 8:00 a.m. Wednesday was set for them to submit an initial action plan for fulfilling these conditions,” The Post reported.
This planned travel ban follows similar restrictions implemented on nationals from 12 countries—Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen earlier this month.
Like the previous ban, most countries under consideration for the next round of travel restrictions, referred to as the “third-world list,” are in Africa.
Out of the 36 countries listed, 25 are African, including Nigeria as well as the U.S.’s close military allies in the region, Egypt and Djibouti.
Other nations that may face travel restrictions include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. The list also encompasses Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Nigeria faced a similar ban during President Trump’s initial term; however, he lifted the restriction after former President Muhammadu Buhari mandated enhancements to the country’s immigration procedures to align with global standards.
The current inclusion of Nigeria for a possible visa ban occurs under Tinubu, who has a controversial history involving cocaine trafficking and an unresolved certificate issue.
