The minister said on Tuesday that Nigerians who have a valid United States visa should freely embark on their trip, amidst warning by the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, to postpone trips due to reports of ill-treatment of Nigerians at US airports.
Onyeama, who spoke to journalist in Abuja said he had spoken to the US ambassador to Nigeria who dismissed reports that Nigerians were refused entry into the country.
He stressed that it is only the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that are credible sources of information about Nigeria’s foreign relations.
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However, the group in a statement by its National Coordinator, Gbenga Omoniya, said the minister was not aware of the challenges Nigerians face in getting into the US as his Ministry has no functional communication mechanism.
The group claimed that the challenges stems from the new immigration policy signed by US President Donald Trump banning nationals of select countries from the United States.
The statement reads: “While it must be admitted that Nigeria is not officially among the countries whose citizens have been banned from entering the US, enough evidence has already surfaced that not a few Nigerians had been put on the next available planes from the US airports back to Nigeria despite their possession of all travelling documents including the US entry visa.
“There’s no doubt that Mr. Onyeama’s denial that Nigerians have been affected by the US president’s Executive Order may not have been unconnected with the Travel Advisory issued over the weekend by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa that advised ‘Nigerians who have no compelling or urgent reason to travel to the US to postpone their travel plans until the new administration’s policy on immigration is clear’.
“While we’re not questioning the right of the Foreign Minister to an issue that borders on foreign policy as this, Mr. Onyeama has undoubtedly put the wrong foot forward in calling on Nigerians to ignore this Travel Advisory in the face of verifiable evidence that Nigerians are being unfairly targeted and included in the dragnet of the US immigration authorities.
“We had wondered why the Foreign Minister was always behind the ‘8th ball’ in his response to major foreign affairs and diaspora issues. While it’s never too late for Mr. Onyeama to wake up to his responsibility, we wonder if he must play to the gallery with his denial that Nigerians have been affected by the US travel ban in any way.”
The statement advised Onyeama to confirm cases where some Nigerians have been treated badly at airports “and many others who were affected but had no one to report to as his Ministry has no functional communication mechanism, before his next appearance at the next media house.”
“Rather than engage in spurious denials that has no basis in facts, we enjoin that the foreign minister collaborates with the relevant agencies of the federal government in making sure that Nigerians are treated with dignity and respect wherever they may be. Trump is putting America first. Onyeama should put Nigerians first too”, it added.