Nigeria will introduce reciprocal visa rules for Americans after the United States began requiring Nigerian applicants to disclose their social media activity from the past five years. The US Mission in Nigeria announced the new policy over the weekend, stating that visa applicants must list all social media handles, email addresses, and phone numbers linked to accounts used within the period. It warned that omitting such details could lead to visa denial or future ineligibility. The regulation, introduced under President Donald Trump’s administration, expands earlier measures applied to international students and is aimed at strengthening national security.
Reacting on Monday, Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa said the government would enforce the same conditions for US citizens seeking visas to Nigeria. “Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures. Anything visa is reciprocal. What you are mandating our nationals to do, we will also mandate your citizens applying for our visa to do,” Ebienfa said.
He added that the Foreign Ministry would meet with the Interior Ministry and the National Intelligence Agency to finalize the policy.Nigeria’s stance reflects growing pushback against what it sees as restrictive foreign immigration rules. Last month, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar said the country would not yield to US pressure to accept deported Venezuelans.
