The Federal Government of Nigeria has vowed to reciprocate the new US visa policy that requires Nigerians to submit their social media usernames during application. The development is an attempt by the Nigerian government to defend the image of Nigerians against recent US strict policies.
Recall that on Monday, the U.S. Mission Nigeria announced that all visa applicants filling the DS-160 form are to supply the usernames of all their social media accounts. This includes all accounts they have used over the last 5 years.
According to the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Nigerian government was informed before the announcement by the US Mission Nigeria on Monday. He noted that FG will take necessary actions to reciprocate such moves on US citizens intending to visit Nigeria.
“We are aware of the development. I think it’s part of the new measures they informed us 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,” he said on Monday.
Defending FG’s planned retaliation, Ebienfa explained that visa rules are originally reciprocal. Meaning that once a country (the U.S.) mandates a rule against another (Nigeria), it will affect the chances of its citizens. He added that the FG will also convene an inter-agency meeting to agree on the best way to respond to the new visa regulation.
Ebienfa further explained that the FG will have an inclusive meeting involving all related agencies on diplomatic actions and future implementations. This includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and also our National Intelligence Agency.
“So, the stakeholders that are involved will have a meeting and agree on our best way to respond to it holistically,” he said.
For a while now, the U.S. government has tightened its visa application rules. The United States Department of State previously directed applicants to make their social media accounts available for verification. This new requirement was put in place upon the resumption of student visa processing for foreign nationals.
The department also directed applicants to adjust their social media accounts’ privacy settings to enable seamless profile checks. It stressed that the new policy will enable a thorough screening to verify applicants’ identities and proof of their qualifications.
Also Read: US visa: Nigerian applicants directed to list social media usernames in last 5 years.
U.S. revokes students’ visas
The new range of policies by the United States is all connected to President Donald Trump’s ambition to strengthen the country’s national security. The administration is ensuring that immigrants pose no threat to the United States and its citizens. It explained that in the new visa policy, applications are now subject to national security decisions.
However, reports revealed that the U.S. State Department has revoked 6,000 student visas since Secretary of State Marco Rubio took office seven months ago. In the revoked cases, about 4,000 of them were for violations of the law.
“The State Department has revoked over 6,000 student visas for overstays and law violations, the vast majority being assault, DUI, burglary and support for terrorism,” a State Department official said.
According to the State Department, Rubio has proudly moved against students using an obscure law that allowed him to rescind visas for people deemed to counter US foreign policy interests. Also, he has particularly pointed to students who have protested against Israel, and accused activists of anti-Semitism, charges they deny.
In reflection, the U.S. is using social media verification to filter the social media accounts of applicants. It is also to detect traces of activism or ill-speaking of Trump’s administration, all for security concerns.
Aside from the tight rules, the government has recently issued a stern warning that overstaying could lead to a permanent travel ban and potential criminal prosecution. Amid these, Nigeria and other affected countries continue to engage in both reciprocal actions and negotiations with Trump’s administration.
