• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

UPDATED: Nigerian students, business people stranded after US Embassy’s indefinite shutdown

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Thousands of Nigerians, from students to business people, who need to obtain visas to travel to the United States anytime from now may find it difficult to do so after the US Embassy in Abuja and its consulate in Lagos were shut down with no specific timelines for re-opening.

The US Embassy in Nigeria said in a Facebook post that the development was caused by the government shutdown in the US.

“Due to the current US government shutdown, the American centres located in the embassy, Abuja and Consulate-General, Lagos are unfortunately closed. They will re-open once the US government shutdown is resolved. Sorry for any inconvenience to our valued patrons,” the Embassy said in the post.

Students who had come back to renew their visas are currently stranded in Nigeria over inability to get visa appointment dates.

“I have fulfilled almost everything needed to process my admission into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston except my visa. I had been scheduled to attend a visa interview early next month. However, with this recent development, I do not know what to do, especially as school resumes soon,” a graduate of University of Ibadan, who gave his name simply as Chike, told BusinessDay.

A travel expert who craved anonymity told BusinessDay that the development was not good for the economy and business because a lot of businesses would be put on hold as a result of this development.

The travel expert further wondered how those with serious health challenges who had been referred to hospitals abroad would cope with the situation.
BusinessDay’s checks show that some Nigerians who had applied for visas in October 2018 were yet to get appointments and those who had gotten will now be delayed as a result of the indefinite shutdown.

The executive arm of government and the legislative arm have been at loggerheads for nearly two month over President Trump’s attempt to build a wall along the Mexican border.

 

IFEOMA OKEKE