The
United States Consul-General, Mr. Jeffery Hawkins, on Thursday, gave
reasons why Nigeria was excluded from the 2015 Diversity-Visa-Programme
registration.
Hawkins
told journalists at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, that Nigeria
was among other countries that had in the last five years, sent more
than 50,000 immigrants to the country through the programme.
“As at today, Nigerians have graduated from being under-represented to being a fully well represented group in the U.S.
“There
is therefore no longer any need to encourage Nigerians to apply to
travel to the U.S. through the Diversity-Visa-Programme. “Already there
are too many Nigerians in the U.S. that have benefited from this
programme,’’ he said.
The
envoy explained that the diversity visa was created to promote
countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. Hawkins said that
Nigeria and other affected countries had already exceeded their quota in
the last five years.
He,
however, stressed that the U.S. authorities would continue to give
preference to Nigerians travelling to U.S for visits, business
transactions, studies and professional engagements. “All other types of
immigration from Nigeria to the U.S, apart from the diversity visa,
would continue unabated.
“Also,
let me say that the ban has nothing to do with our relations with
Nigeria now, and in the years ahead,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted
the envoy as saying to journalists. He also dismissed insinuations
making the rounds that the move was to reduce the number of Nigerians
travelling to the U.S.
The
U.S official also said that the development had “nothing to do with
insecurity, activities of Boko Haram and other forms of upheaval in
Nigeria.” It would be recalled that the U.S. Department of State, banned
Nigeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador and Haiti from participating in the 2015
Diversity-Visa-Programme.
Other affected countries are: India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom and Vietnam.
Source: The Nation
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