US Visa Ban: No Nigerian Deserve to Be Punished for Inefficiencies of Buhari Gov’t – Atiku

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has called on American President, Donald Trump to rescind his decision on the Visa ban placed on Nigeria.
The US government recently added Nigeria to the list of countries on its visa ban, making the total number to be 13. 
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party ion then 2019 election in a statement noted that President Muhammadu Buhari administration failed to share information and address issues of terrorism, making the US Government take such decision.
Using the relationship previous Nigerian administrations have had with the United States as a yardstick, he called on Trump to rescind his decision, urging him to tackle those in government, not the entire populace.
Read the full statement below.

I received with sadness the policy of the government of the United States of America to place Nigeria on its travel ban list.

While I understand the reasons given by the Trump administration (the failure of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration to share information and to address issues of terrorism), the ban does not take into account the pro-American sentiments of the Nigerian public and the solidarity previous Nigerian administrations have had with the United States.

I urge the government of President Donald Trump to consider the history of US-Nigerian relationships. Nigeria was one of the few African nations that joined the US-led coalition during Operation Desert Storm between 1990-1991 when the United States championed the liberation of Kuwait.

The Trump administration may also consider the pivotal role Nigeria, in partnership with the US, played in bringing peace to Liberia, an American sphere of influence, that now enjoys democracy because Nigerian blood and money paved the way for peace in that nation.

Nigeria has also consistently voted in support of the United States and her allies at the United Nations and other multilateral world bodies. This is even as we are perhaps the biggest trading partner that the United States has in Africa, even where we had alternatives.

Nigerians love the United States and have been a major force for the positive development of that great nation: 77% of all Black doctors in the United States are Nigerians. Nigerians are also the most educated immigrant community in America bar none. Surely, the US stands to benefit if it allows open borders with a country like Nigeria that is able to provide skilled, hardworking and dedicated personnel in a two-way traffic.

The current Nigerian administration may have its deficiencies and deep faults, but the Nigeria people ought not to be punished for their inefficiencies.

Once again, I call on President Trump to consider adopting measures that individually target those in government who have failed in their duties, rather than target the entire Nigerian population.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *