The United States of America, Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, on Tuesday, hinted that the Immigration ban placed on Nigeria is a temporary measure that will hopefully be resolved “in a single-digit month.”
The Ambassador gave the hint on Tuesday during a courtesy call to the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The Speaker, according to a statement by his Spokesperson, Lanre Lasisi, expressed displeasure over the measure taken by the United States, and called for clarification on the ban.
Gbajabiamila during the meeting raised the issue of the ban, said that “There’s still no clarity on the issue. For some, it’s very hazy, and for others, they need to understand what’s going on. Even people who seek to go visit are being affected in one way or the other.”
He also called for dialogue over the impasse. Gbajabiamila also raised security issue, particularly the insurgency in the Northeast.
He expressed willingness to cooperate on removing obstacles through legislative interventions.
“I’m aware that there are certain legislation in the United States that may be an impediment to the arms purchase agreement. That’s why I talked about legislative diplomacy so that we can address it in a way,” he said.
The Ambassador in her response said the Visa action was based on information sharing.
And expressed hope that it will be taken care of within 9 months.
