President Muhammadu Buhari in reaction to the visa ban by the US, on Saturday established a committee to “study and address” the development.
The committee will be chaired by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
On Friday, the US’ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced temporary travel restrictions on six countries, including Nigeria.
The restriction will affect the issuance of US “immigrant visas” to Nigerian passport holders from February 21, 2020.
The suspension does not apply to other U.S visas such as those for official, business, tourism and student travel.
Nigeria was among six countries, four of them in Africa added to a visa ban announced on Friday in a presidential proclamation.
The DHS stated that the suspension of “immigrant visas” became necessary due to security concerns related to information sharing between Nigeria and the US.
The list also includes Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar.
However, in a statement released by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, the federal government said Nigeria remains “committed” to its relationship with the Americans.
“Accordingly, President Muhammadu Buhari has established a committee, to be Chaired by the Hon. Minister of Interior, to study and address the updated U.S. requirements,” the statement said.
“The committee will work with the U.S Government, INTERPOL and other stakeholders to ensure all updates are properly implemented.”
