By Kayode Bello
This forms a harrowing experience
in the hands of the consular officer, at Window 4, on March 13th,
2018, at the premises of the United States of America Embassy, Walter
Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos. And this is within the knowledge
of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama. Also, Mr. Usman Piatu, of
the Foreign Affairs Ministry Liaison office in Lagos is very much aware of the
story I am about to tell, because they have received my petition on the
somewhat discrimination, and indiscriminate denial of the American visa. Not forgetting
Mr. Dayo Adeoye, Head, Airport Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Presidential
Lounge, Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, and Mr. Nnamdi Nze, Foreign
Service Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, and Mary Edekinu, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Presidential Lounge, Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja,
Lagos.
From the expressway leading to Walter
Carrington Crescent, and across the road, lay ambush people who would ask visa
applicants sorts of questions like,’’ Passport photograph?’’ ‘’Do you want to
keep your phone or possessions?’’ ‘’Do you know you can’t take your phone
inside the embassy?’’ ‘‘Photocopy?’’ These are not without a fee. Inquiry
showed that the American Embassy area is under the control of the Nigerian
Military, and each shop occupant pays about N70,000 (seventy thousand naira)
per month. The queue is time-consuming, while the visa officer does not have
time to ask questions talk less of germane ones. It is estimated that about
ninety percent of the visa applicants are denied visas daily at the American
Embassy, while the embassy makes more money than usual. The exchange rate of US
dollar to Nigerian Naira is N400 by the American Embassy as against the N305
official rate, thereby depicting excess/extra profit for the American Embassy
in Nigeria.
All Nigerians cannot be at the Foreign
Affairs Ministry but the above officials especially the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, would represent the interests of Nigerians who may have somewhat visa
or consular problems. A petition was submitted by me at the Foreign Affairs
Ministry Liaison Office, Lagos, on March 13th, 2018, x-raying my
harrowing experience at the United States Embassy. And while still ruminating
over the fact that the denial was unjust, a close source at the United States
Embassy disclosed that the visa fee would soon be increased from N64,000 to
some N100,000 (one hundred thousand naira only). I have read online a comment
that to discourage Nigerians from travelling to the United States, just
increase the amount of visa fee, but the Nigerians I know who do not want to be
faced with the current hardship, and suffering but smiling would not mind going
through the Mediterranean sea to get to the greener destination. Thus, increase
in visa fee, in own opinion, would not deter Nigerians. Nigerians can sell
property to escape the suffering, and be able to boast to others they have made
it. Nigeria might not have good image abroad, but just as there are school
shootings in the United States, yet I do not conclude all Americans are
criminals and insane, so it would be quite unfair to conclude Nigerians would
not return to their home country. The Nigerian Representatives may not raise
a finger against the visa fee increase. Another which may sound saddening is
the fact that some of the foreign affairs officials were so quick to say, ‘’Do
you know that Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria was also
denied entry visa to the United States?’’ I responded, ‘’ But why was he
denied? You need to look into the reasons for the denial whether just or not?’’
There is somewhat written on the faces of the foreign affairs’ officials fear
of writing the United States embassy. Or, are there sacred people the foreign
affairs Ministry attends to?
One candid thing was the gloom
that I was greeted with at the Foreign Affairs division of Nigeria, both in
Lagos and Abuja, where the public officers work, and being paid by the government
of Nigeria where I belong as a bona fide citizen. I am not an alien here, fellow
Nigerians, and I need not be Senator’s son before I could approach any government
establishment. It should not be a case of who do I know, or from where do I
come from, or who am I? It should be a case of myself as a human, with dignity,
respect and rights. There is the reminder of the statement of the President of
the United States of America to the fact that Nigeria is a shit-hole country.
In a shit-hole country, it is expected that men, women, young and old would love
to run away for greener pastures, to find job, and possibly escape biting economic,
and socio-political realities- poor water supply, poor power supply, herdsmen
killings, Boko Haram bombings, unemployment rate/increasing, snail-like Judiciary,
Libya slave-trade, human trafficking, pollution, increased/ increasing
illiteracy rate, and most importantly corruption and poverty who are Siamese
twins, but all these are not the preserve of Nigeria alone.
To defend or play a devil’s
advocate for the American Embassy, the above might form the reasons for the
denial of the American or any other country’s visa, but in a situation of
somewhat discriminatory or indiscriminate reasons for denial of visa, it comes
to question could it be of policy or discrimination? One notable thing at the
American Embassy is the pre-printed paper -- either white of blue depending on
whether visa granted or not. The blue UNSIGNED paper represents visa denial.
The white paper represents visa is granted. The blue Paper without date or name of the applicant has no date, and signature but a space is created for the
signature of the consular officer on the letter. This means the document is not
tenable as evidence in case of any action in the court of law. This could be
because the American Embassy in Nigeria is aware of the fact that the Nigerian
System favours these, and that even the
foreign affair ministry would not move
an inch to seek redress for its citizenry
that suffers the kind of fate in the hands of
‘’make America great again’’ persons. I read again online the statement
of Mr. Onyeama that showed outright defence of the United States Immigration on
the unlawful deportation of a Nigerian with valid visa. We must look at the body
language of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as to defending the
interests of Nigerians, not foreign interests, if truly democracy is government
of the people by the people, and for the people.
Also disheartening was the fact
that the consular officer mistook me for a financial reporter, instead of a
freelance reporter, until the tail end of the interview when he corrected
himself without apologizing to me. He had a preconceived judgment I must add,
and in my candid view it is not of policy to not listen to a visa applicant
before refusal of visa. It could be gleaned, as a matter of opinion, that the
foreign affairs ministry of Nigeria are aware of this, and other
harrowing experiences, but with present Nigerian situation even the foreign affairs personnel may need the
‘favour’ of the American embassy
either for themselves, or for their
wards, thus the denial of that person not within
this clique or ‘special’ citizens may mean nothing to them. And how prompt the Foreign Affairs
Ministry responds to complaint is another to be inquired. A long queue is
usually witnessed at the Walter Carrington Crescent of the American Embassy.
My voyage to the American Embassy
and the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Ministry had showed there might be somewhat
diplomatic romance between them, at the expense of the national interest, and such
national interest includes the interest of Nigerians. Since we live an
interdependent world, it is expected that Americans would want to come to Nigeria,
while Nigerians would as well voyage elsewhere. A visa policy hinged on
discrimination, in my view is inhumane, erodes person’s dignity and freedom of
movement, and the onus rests on the Nigerian Foreign affairs Ministry to
address this and others without much ado. A paper, like ours, that is on global
warming and climate change to be presented at the Common Ground’s Conference at
the University of California, Berkeley, has suffered a blow in the hands of the
American government via visa denial, and it might be a pointer to the fact that
the Trump’s administration does not believe in climate change, I opine.
NOTE: This has been submitted to
The Guardian newspapers for publication, with the hope it would see the light
of the day.
Kayode Bello can be reached via finestkay2003@yahoo.com, or 08115480501.
