Copied: In February 2023, under President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria made a landmark policy move: U.S. citizens were granted 5-year visas to Nigeria, a step toward easing travel and improving bilateral relations.
Fast forward to mid-2024, under President Bola Tinubu’s government, that policy was reversed.
Tinubu’s administration quietly downgraded the visa duration for U.S. citizens from 5 years to just 3 months. No announcement. No consultation. Just a silent, self-serving policy change. And the motive? Purely revenue generation. With a visa fee of $160, shortening the visa length meant Americans would have to apply more often, allowing Tinubu’s Government to collect more money per head. Simple. Greedy.
Now, the U.S. has responded — as expected, by reciprocating. As of July 8th 2025, Nigerians can now only get 3-month U.S. visas, down from the 2-year and 5-year options many had come to rely on.
The worst part? Ordinary Nigerians, especially those without diplomatic or second passports, are the ones paying the price. Businesspeople, students, tourists, and families are now trapped in a cycle of short visas, higher costs, and more uncertainty, all because of a thoughtless policy born out of desperation for dollars.
Yet, the media is silent.
Where are the so-called investigative journalists? Where are the headline-grabbing newsrooms that should be telling Nigerians the truth? Instead of holding the government accountable, they are either ignoring the story or recycling the U.S. Embassy’s statement without context.
And what about Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior? The man behind the implementation of this regressive policy. He owes Nigerians an explanation. But don’t expect one, he’ll likely unleash his Twitter foot soldiers to spin this and shift blame to the United States.
END
Be the first to comment