US travel ban: Onyeama vs Dabiri-Erewa

   The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, recently said that no Nigerian with full valid entry visa has been denied entry to the U.S. This information was contained in his reaction to a statement made earlier by President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

The statement signed by Dabiri-Erewa’s media aide, Abdurrahman Balogun said that in the recent, the office received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry US visas who were denied entry into the United States of America by US immigration authorities and were sent back to Nigeria. In addition to being sent back on the next available flight to Nigeria, their visas were cancelled.

She also advised Nigerians who have no compelling or essential reasons to visit the US to consider rescheduling their trip until there is clarity on the new immigration policy.

Following the furore this statement generated, Onyeama, dismissed Dabiri- Erewa’s claims. He said Nigerians are free to travel to U.S. as Nigeria is not on the list of countries whose nationals are banned from visiting the US.


The minister said he is constantly in touch with the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S. and the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, adding that there was no report on Nigerians being denied entry into the U.S.

According to him, if government is speaking on any external relations, it will be heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Presidency as any other source is not from the government. He said Nigeria has embassies in almost 114 countries across the world and the ministry relies on their reports.

Having examined his statement, I am amazed that he could say all the things that he said without making the necessary investigations. Truth be told, some Nigerians who were turned back at the point of entry in the US relayed their experiences in the media.

I don’t think Abike Dabiri- Erewa stands to gain anything by issuing such a statement. As a concerned and responsible Nigerian who is against any form of injustice, she decided to warn Nigerians about happenings in the US. I don’t think she has done anything wrong. Maybe she ought to have first consulted with the minister but for Onyeama to come out and say Nigerians are not being sent back home from the US is not true.

I wonder what he is trying to cover up. All he has said makes me feel that he does not know his job or is relying on second-hand information from unreliable sources. Has his ministry bothered to reach out to some of the affected Nigerians who have shared their stories? Why don’t they investigate these cases and find out if they are true or false? Making hasty conclusions such as this is one of the reasons we are not making progress as a country.

Damilola Makinde, 25