The Federal Government has vowed to reciprocate a new US visa policy that mandates Nigerian visa applicants to disclose their social media profiles and activities in the last five years during application.
PUNCH Online reported yesterday that the US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants are required to provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form
It warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials and potential ineligibility for future U.S. visas.
The US Mission said, “Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 years on the DS-160 visa application form.”
“Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.”
Reacting to the development on Monday, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the Ministry is aware of the development, having been informed ahead of the announcement by the US Mission in Nigeria.
He, however, said the FG will carry out reciprocal action, stressing that US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.
“We are aware of the development. I think it’s part of the new measures they informed us before now that they will implement. Well, they mentioned those issues before.
“So, on things of this nature, the best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures.
‘’I think that’s what the government might do because anything visa is reciprocal. What you are mandating our nationals to do, we will also mandate your citizens applying for our visa to do,’’ he said.
Continuing, he said the FG will convene an inter-agency meeting to agree on the best way to respond to the new visa regulation.
Ebienfa said further that the government will have an inclusive meeting that will involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and also our National Intelligence Agency.
“So, the stakeholders that are involved will have a meeting and agree on our best way to respond to it holistically.”
