An official of the United States Consulate in Lagos has made it clear that they are not under any obligation to make it public any Nigeria they would issue American Visa to at any given time.
Reacting to the controversy over visa for the Presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, the Consulate stressed that visa issuance is strictly a confidential matter, saying that the U.S. Government will not discuss the issue in public for any reason.
The Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Consulate in Lagos, Brussel Brooks, who spoke during an education forum organized for 150 teachers and students drawn from various public schools in Oyo State, said that the case of Atiku’s visa status has been an issue in the newspapers for some time, but said: “the position of the U.S. Mission has remained the same throughout any discussion of this issue, that visas are confidential matters.
“We don’t discuss individual visa’s status of any person, whether it be a highly rated official, a presidential candidate or an average citizen.
“Anyone who applies for a visa should know that there will be some records that are confidential. It is classified as private documents by the United States Government, and we never discuss them in public.”
Mr. Brooks enjoined candidates at all levels to focus on issue-based campaigns and avoid distractions.
“Often times, unfortunately, campaigns are full of distractions, things that are not that important to the lives and welfare of average Nigerians, especially the children that are with us today. What is important for them is to give them the opportunities to serve in order to thrive in today’s world.
“This means they need a good education. The school should be improved. I will also encourage parents and voters to ask the candidates what they plan to do to improve education. I think issue-based campaigns will be beneficial to all Nigerians.”
Atiku Abubakar has been flayed by politicians of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), for his perceived ‘inability’ to secure a U.S. visa due to the report of an American congressional panel that investigated allegations of financial impropriety against the ex-vice president and others years ago.
Atiku, the main challenger to President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid, has not visited the U.S. since then, spiking perceptions that he has been ‘banned’ from entering the country.
He has downplayed this perception, which has gained momentum as the 2019 elections approach even as the U.S. government has refused to be drawn into the controversy.
The former vice president has admitted that he actually applied to go to the U.S. but was denied a visa.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, had on Thursday, asked the U.S. government not to grant Atiku a visa as this would send the wrong signal to the country on who the U.S. was supporting politically in 2019.
This was even as Gbenga Daniel, recently claimed that the U.S. was ‘considering’ granting a visa to the PDP candidate.
