Dayo Emmanuel
The American Embassy in Abuja has apologised to thousands of Nigerian visa applicants over the closure of its centres in Abuja and Lagos.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Embassy regrets thousands of applicants from Nigeria would not be attended to due to the government shutdown in the United States.
“Due to the current U.S. government shutdown, the American Centers located in the Embassy, Abuja and Consulate General, Lagos are unfortunately closed. They will re-open once the U.S. government shutdown is resolved.
“Sorry for any inconvenience to our valued patrons,” the Embassy assured Nigerians in a statement issued on Monday 31st December 2018.
While the American government experiences a shutdown since 22nd December, a number of government bussineses home and abroad have been on hold.
Disagreement on the funding of the proposed wall to be erected between the United States and Mexico was the major bone of contention leading to the government shutdown.
Meanwhile, House Democrats are proposing to reopen the Federal Government by severing funding for the Department of Homeland Security and border security from other spending bills that enjoy bipartisan support. This is aimed at forcing President Trump to negotiate or to shoulder the blame for a protracted shutdown.
The Democrats’ plan to reopen the government will come up for a vote on Thursday when they take control of the House.
Meanwhile, Nigerian visa applicants may have their scheduled interviews rescheduled or canceled while fresh applicants would not be able to process dates.
Erecting a wall to serve as barrier between the US and Mexico to cost about $5bn was a campaign promise made by President Trump.
Hope may be rekindled towards reopening the government when Democrats on Thursday take over the House with their proposal.