FG to US: Any visa rule you slam on Nigerians, awaits Americans

The United States (US) has tightened the noose on Nigerian visa applicants, rolling out fresh rules that demand full disclosure of social media activities spanning the last five years.

The penalty for omission is visa denial  and in some cases, a permanent bar from stepping foot on American soil.

Reacting to this new development, the Federal Government yesterday vowed it would not sit idly by. Nigeria, it insists, will hit back with the same measures against Americans seeking to visit the country.

The new directive, announced by the US Mission in Nigeria via its official X handle, mandates applicants to submit their User IDs, emails, usernames, handles, and even phone numbers linked to every online platform they’ve used in the last half-decade.

Privacy settings must also be removed to give US authorities full access for vetting.

“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years,” the Mission warned, stressing that failure to comply could lead to outright denial or future ineligibility.

This sweeping policy, officials say, is part of President Donald Trump’s broader push to tighten America’s immigration system under the guise of “national security.”

FG Fires Back

Reacting, Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Nigeria would mirror Washington’s actions.

“We are aware of the development,” Ebienfa said. “Anything visa is reciprocal. What you are mandating our nationals to do, we will also mandate your citizens applying for our visa to do.”

He added that the Federal Government would convene an inter-agency meeting with the Ministry of Interior and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to finalise Nigeria’s response.

For Nigerians, this is only the latest in a string of humiliations. Recently, the US reduced most non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerians to single-entry permits valid for just three months. Visa overstays and “reciprocity” were cited as reasons.

The embassy, in its defence, described the process as “global” and “subject to review,” insisting the measures are meant to protect the integrity of the US immigration system.

But for many, the message is clear: Nigerians are no longer welcome in the United States — at least not without being treated like suspects first.

And now, Abuja is signaling that America’s citizens could face the same treatment when they seek to enter Nigeria.

The visa war, it seems, has just begun