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Thousands of Nigerians from students to business people who need to travel to the United States anytime from now are now stranded after the United States embassy in Abuja and its consulate in Lagos have been shutdown with no specific timelines for re-opening.
The US embassy in Nigeria said in a Facebook post that the development was caused by the government shutdown in the US.
The statement read, “Due to the current US government shutdown, the American centres located in the embassy, Abuja and Consulate-General, Lagos are unfortunately closed. They will re-open once the US government shutdown is resolved. Sorry for any inconvenience to our valued patrons.”
Thousands of Nigerians are currently on the queue for visa appointments to get the United States visa for study, business, tourism, health and other purposes. However these engagements may be put on hold pending when the United States embassy reopens.
Students who had come back to Nigeria to renew their visas are currently stranded over inability to get visa appointment dates.
“I have fulfilled almost everything needed to process my admission into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston except my visa. I had been scheduled to attend a visa interview early next month. However, with this recent development, I do not know what to do, especially as school resumes soon” Chike, a graduate of University of Ibadan told BusinessDay.
A travel expert who craved anonymity told BusinessDay that this is not good for the economy and business because a lot of businesses will be put on hold as a result of this development.
The travel expert further wondered how those with serious health challenges who had referred to hospitals abroad will cope with the situation.
IFEOMA OKEKE
