By Adetutu Folasade-Koyi
The Presidency has advised Nigerians, “who have no compelling or urgent reason” to visit the United States of America to suspend such trip for now.
According to President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Nigerians should delay going to the US “until there is clarity on the new immigration policy” of President Donald Trump.
She said the warning became imperative due to series of reports received by her office about treatment of Nigerians at the US entry points.
Said she: “In the last few weeks, the office has received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry US visas being denied entry and sent back to the Nigeria.
“In such cases reported to the office, such affected persons were sent back immediately, on the next available flight, and their visas were cancelled. No reasons were given for the decision by the US immigration authorities.”
The presidential aide said the statement was “only to advise Nigerians without any compelling or essential reasons to visit the US to consider rescheduling their trip until there is clarity on the new immigration policy.”
The presidential aide, however, reminded Nigerians in the Diaspora to abide by the rules and regulations of their host countries and be good ambassadors of the country.
Trump signed an executive order on January 27, 2017, which barred people from seven Muslim-majority countries from travelling to the US for 90 days.
The order also stopped all refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees permanently. The ban caused global outrage as well as chaos across the US, before it was frozen by a legal ruling.
Trump is expected to sign a revised travel ban.
This would be the second travel advisory Nigeria would issue for her citizens in the last couple of months.
Recently, the Federal Government also warned Nigerians against going to Libya because penalty for illegal migration to that country, when caught, is a death sentence.