Nigeria’s refusal to accept asylum seekers from the United States is one of the key reasons behind the recent visa restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump, TheCable has learned.
Sources familiar with the matter said the Trump administration had been pressuring several countries to temporarily host asylum seekers while their cases often taking up to seven years are processed. While some nations agreed to the arrangement, Nigeria declined.
According to diplomatic insiders, Trump responded with a hardline approach, a tactic he’s known to use in negotiations such as his trade disputes by introducing steep penalties to gain leverage.
This culminated in Tuesday’s announcement by the US embassy, which revealed that most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerians would now be valid for only three months and allow a single entry. Though the embassy cited visa reciprocity concerns, specific details were not disclosed.
Initial speculation online blamed the move on Nigeria supposedly discontinuing five-year visa issuance to Americans, but those claims have since been proven false. In fact, Nigerian visas for US citizens when issued at the embassy can still range from three months to five years with either single or multiple entry, depending on the category.
Nigeria had recently introduced an e-visa system on March 1 to simplify the application process and replace the inefficient visa-on-arrival setup. The e-visa is valid for 90 days from the date of issuance and permits a single entry with a maximum stay of 30 days.
