US Visa Ban Came To Us As A Rude Shock, Ngige Tells US Ambassador

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has said that the US travel ban on Nigeria came as a rude shock to the country.

The minister, who spoke during the visit of the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, to his office, stressed that owing to the impact Nigerian professionals have on the US economy, it was unfair to add the country on the list.

Earlier in February, the US President, Donald Trump imposed an immigration visa ban on Nigeria and five other countries including Eritrea, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan and Tanzania

Dr Ngige asked the US ambassador to convey the mood of Nigerians to President Trump and state that the ban is punitive.

“The issue of Nigerian professionals who migrate to the United States to better their skills; it came to us in this Ministry as a rude shock when the US government ban Nigeria and put us in the list of those countries whose immigrant status were cancelled.

“I want you to convey it home that the ban is punitive,” he added.

While responding Ambassador Leonard clarified that the visa ban does not affect people who currently reside in the US, stating that the ban is due to problems of information sharing if addressed, can be reviewed.

“The immigrant visa ban has no effect on people who currently residents in the US; Secretary Pompeo said that it is temporary and it’s about problems with information sharing which are resolvable and we look forward to Nigeria in a very short while, being able to meet those information sharing so the decision can be reviewed.”

She urged the Minister to find mechanisms to harness the abundant entrepreneurial skills in Nigeria’s informal sector and capture it into the formal sector.

– Channelstv