The Federal Government of Nigeria will press the appropriate diplomatic buttons and liaise with the appropriate authorities to resolve the suspension of the drop box provision for Nigerians renewing their American visas.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Oluwole Oke, made this known on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday.
“I am the US (United States). I will take this matter up. After finishing my meeting in New York here, I will be in Washington as well. We have chargé d’affaires there. I will take this matter up with him and see how we can navigate and resolve the issues,” Oke said.
The drop box system allowed applicants, especially those with recent US travel history, to submit passports without interviews, reducing wait times.
However, last weekend, complaints filtered in from visa applicants that the US has stopped its visa drop box service in Nigeria, necessitating all visitor visa applicants to attend in-person interviews for renewals.
The development comes amid a crackdown by the Donald Trump presidency on migrants in the United States.
The lawmaker said the suspension of the service by the US was not a serious issue as Nigeria does not offer the same service to Americans renewing their Nigerian visas.
Oke said he had reached out to the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and he told him that Nigeria has not received any communication correspondence from the United States of America regarding the drop box service suspension.
The lawmaker said, “I don’t think there is any serious issue here. It is the prerogative of the United States to cancel the drop box procedure for renewing visas for Nigerians. There is a principle of reciprocity in the diplomatic arena.
“As regards visa renewal, that’s not what we offer Americans in the United States, that’s not what our consulates when Americans or Nigerians born in America want to renew their visas, we don’t offer them drop box. That they offered us a drop box, I think it was entirely their prerogative.
“For example, until President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office, the American government was issuing Nigerians visas for two years, we were issuing them one year. Later, they moved to issuing visas for five years but we were issuing them for one year until President Bola Tinubu came on board and directed the Minister of Interior to reciprocate.
“Unfortunately, it is their prerogative, it is their decision. I contacted the Minister of Foreign Affairs if he had any information regarding this and he told me clearly that he is not in receipt of any communication correspondence from the United States of America regarding this issue.”
Oke also expressed optimism that the Trump presidency would review some of its policies and won’t want to become unpopular among the nations of the world.
“Nigeria is that such a very important country in the comity of nations that no country will want to ignore. Take it from me. We are that asset that the entire world is waiting to tap. I am positive that we will reap, going further, from the activities of President Donald Trump,” he said.
Trump, who took over power for the second term on January 20, 2025, vowed mass deportation of “criminal aliens” who illegally gained entry into the United States. Already, mass raids have been carried out at homes, schools, workplaces, and shopping centres where undocumented immigrants were picked up and deported to places like India, and Guatemala, among others.
Mixed reactions have trailed Trump’s immigration move with some commending his action while others begrudge it.
Approximately 376,000 Nigerian immigrants live in the United States as of 2015, according to official sources. Nigeria is the largest source of African immigration to the United States.
The United States is one of the top destinations for migrating Nigerian youths and the middle class in search of greener pastures. Nigerians in America form a bulk of the total diaspora bulge which contributes more than $20bn annually to Nigeria’s economy, according to the 2023 data from the World Bank
Credit: Channels TV
