The Nigerian government has pledged to implement reciprocal measures after the U.S tightened visa rules.
This comes as the U.S. announced that Nigerian visa applicants will now be required to disclose their social media activity spanning the past five years.
Reacting to the decision of the decision, a spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the Ministry is aware of the development, having been informed ahead of the announcement by the U.S. Mission in Nigeria.
Ebienfa said the Nigerian government is exploring ways to reciprocate. He explained that U.S citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.
He said: “We are aware of the development. I think it’s part of the new measures they informed us about before now that they will implement. Well, they mentioned those issues before.
“So, on things of this nature, the best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures.
‘’I think that’s what the government might do because anything visa is reciprocal. What you are mandating our nationals to do, we will also mandate your citizens applying for our visa to do.”
Speaking further, Ebienfa said that the Federal Government will also convene an inter-agency meeting to decide the way to respond to the new visa regulation.
He continued: “The government will have an inclusive meeting that will involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, and also our National Intelligence Agency, NIA.
“So, the stakeholders that are involved will have a meeting and agree on our best way to respond to it holistically.”
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the U.S tightened visa rules, directing Nigerian applicants to make available all usernames and handles used on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X on the DS-160 visa application form.
The U.S. mission to Nigeria warned that failure to comply could result in visa denial and potential ineligibility for future applications.
“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years on the DS-160 visa application form. Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit.
“Omitting social media information on your application could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future U.S visas.
“Enter information associated with your online presence, including the types of online providers/platforms, applications, and websites that you use to collaborate, share information, and interact with others. List the username, handle, screen name, and other identifiers associated with your social media profile,” the Mission said.
