ABUJA-The United States of America Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Terence McCulley, has disclosed that part of the problems responsible for delay in issuing visas to Nigerians were old facilities built many years ago.


McCulley said plans had been concluded for a new consulate in Lagos by the U.S. Government to provide better services, adding that it would be ready within the next five years.

The ambassador, who made the remark while speaking during a video conference with journalists in Abuja, stressed that the facilities were envisaged to handle the increasing number of visa applicants in Nigeria.

He said: "We are facing challenges in terms of our physical layout both in Lagos and Abuja. But we are looking at buildings which were constructed many years ago when the demand for US visas was far reduced.

"We have seen more increase in demand for US visas and that has frankly strained our facility and we struggle with that on a daily basis. We hope in the next five years to build a new consulate in Lagos which will resolve some of these physical challenges.”

He said that the US was committed to supporting Nigeria to end the Boko Haram challenges in the country.

"We are committed to partnership with Nigeria and we have programmes with the Nigerian Police in various capacity. I don't know if there has been some success in recent weeks over tragically the lives of the Italian and British hostages that were lost. There were significant successes in capturing and detaining members of the extreme faction of Boko Haram.

"So I think that there would continue to be challenges and Nigeria can count on partners like the United States to help build capacities to address these challenges.

"The demand for US visas in Nigeria has increased substantially in the last twenty four months. We value the interest of Nigerians going on holiday, going on business, going to universities in the United States.

"We recognized that not all applicants are going to be qualified, but I will tell you that more than fifty percent of applicants requiring visas to the United States do receive them. But what I tell our consular officers in Abuja and Lagos is that they are the windows of America and that we want all applicants to be treated with respect.

"Thousands of Nigerians go to United States each year and around seven thousands Nigerians studying in the United States and more Nigerians are studying in the United States than any other countries from Sub-Saharan Africa."

He said that the US was committed to supporting Nigeria to end the Boko Haram challenges in the country.

"We are committed to partnership with Nigeria and we have programmes with the Nigerian Police in various capacity. I don't know if there has been some success in recent weeks over tragically the lives of the Italian and British hostages that were lost. There were significant successes in capturing and detaining members of the extreme faction of Boko Haram.

"So I think that there would continue to be challenges and Nigeria can count on partners like the United States to help build capacities to address these challenges.

On the fight against corruption in Nigeria, he said: "We have a variety of programmes to build capacity of the EFCC. We saluted the nomination of Chairman Ibrahim Lamorde. For a year and half, we tried to raise nomination because we recognized that the EFCC had not been able to fulfill its mandate.

"We have a variety of training programmes in place to build the capacity of EFCC workers. Chairman Lamorde is going to Washington in a week's time to have similar discussion with law enforcement and other agencies. At every opportunity, we talk about the need to address the problem of corruption.

"It is a dialogue we carry out at the highest level of this government and we recognize there is a problem. But I think we are deploying resources to assist the government of Nigeria to address this problem and it is part of our public diplomacy message."



http://odili.net/news/source/2012/apr/9/327.html

This is good news. We need more slaves to help pay taxes
I need my social security benefits when the time comes.

^^^

You know thats illegal.

strangerf: ^^^

You know thats illegal.

What is illegal?
Willing slaves dying to escape suffering and poverty from Nigeria or issuing valid visas to willing slaves who choose to seek greener pastures for a fee?
Anything is better than life in Nigeria. . .you stated that yourself.

fast track process doesnt mean more people will get visas, it actually means a more faster rejection

blacksta: fast track process doesnt mean more people will get visas, it actually means a more faster rejection

Is that 'Engrish' or 'pingrish'?

U.S embassy in Nigeria are simply looking into ways to increase their revenue from visa applications (and inevitable denial).

.

strangerf: ^^^

You know thats illegal.

What is illegal? The slave part, tax part or the Social Security part, which is it? Please, what he said is in order. Come to think of it, the more you work for peanuts, the more you get tax slammed from every corner. Whoever is relying on SS is just wasting their damn time. SS will run out by 2050 (about 37 years from now). Add that to how old you are now i.e. if you're in your early/late 20's, you would have contributed a huge chunk YET you wouldn't received anything.

Talk about 5years to fast track? Damn, that is one hell of a fast tracking. Perhaps, if Nigeria gets it together or perhaps hasn't split due to ethnic-religious grounds, may be visa application will probably decline.

Good gist for those who love travelling, though 5 years seems rather long. I see they are helping us fight corruption; I see a long drawn battle in the horizon

Fast tracking visa issuance or fast tracking visa denial? Terrence Mculley is just being economical. Visa denials far outnumber visa issuance... The fifty percent visa issuance is pure bunkum.

Callotti: This is good news. We need more slaves to help pay taxes
I need my social security benefits when the time comes.

and i was wondering why u were being mostly avoided like a wild plague

It's actually more of fast-tracking the revenue collection. More Visa application centers would only mean that you get to attend your interview date earlier, and your visa approval or rejection therefore comes earlier.

All in all, the US embassy gains more funds.

Imagine a 50% rejection/approval rate!

Starlett: It's actually more of fast-tracking the revenue collection. More Visa application centers would only mean that you get to attend your interview date earlier, and your visa approval or rejection therefore comes earlier.

All in all, the US embassy gains more funds.

Imagine a 50% rejection/approval rate!

Have you ever considered why the approval/rejection rate is so? It's simple, most Nigerians are corrupt, from forging documents to bribery, it's all there, there's desperation in every Nigerian, how else do we explain someone selling all his/her possessions just for the chance of travelling out? With the level of corruption, I do not fault foreign countries for having a very strict immigration screening, the unfortunate thing here is that if people learn to use the proper channels and are well-prepared with the proper documents, it's actually easier to get an American visa.

bittyend:

Is that 'Engrish' or 'pingrish'?

SHUT UP, post your comment, this are people spoiling Nairaland, always deviating from the issue and derailing the topic.....

manny4life:


What is illegal? The slave part, tax part or the Social Security part, which is it? Please, what he said is in order. Come to think of it, the more you work for peanuts, the more you get tax slammed from every corner. Whoever is relying on SS is just wasting their damn time. SS will run out by 2050 (about 37 years from now). Add that to how old you are now i.e. if you're in your early/late 20's, you would have contributed a huge chunk YET you wouldn't received anything.

Very true. Those peeps born in the early 70s and after will not have any social security paid to them because the social security coffers will be empty by then. What the younger generation is currently paying into social security is what the current retiring baby boomers (ages 60 and above) are receiving. America is going down the drain. That much I know. Hence, they are looking for other means outside of their country to generate revenue of some sort and what better way than to use gullible Nigerians who are still trying to flock to their sinking country for perceived 'greener pastures.'

I am laughing, 5 years and people are already jubilating. Wake up peeps,these guys want to encourage more applicants thereby ripping Nigerians of their money.
With the proposed facility in place they can receive visa applications and conducts interviews same day thereby increasing their daily revenue generation,Nigerians are not in a any way guarantee visas with the fast track facility.

manny4life:


What is illegal? The slave part, tax part or the Social Security part, which is it? Please, what he said is in order. Come to think of it, the more you work for peanuts, the more you get tax slammed from every corner. Whoever is relying on SS is just wasting their damn time. SS will run out by 2050 (about 37 years from now). Add that to how old you are now i.e. if you're in your early/late 20's, you would have contributed a huge chunk YET you wouldn't received anything.

Talk about 5years to fast track? Damn, that is one hell of a fast tracking. Perhaps, if Nigeria gets it together or perhaps hasn't split due to ethnic-religious grounds, may be visa application will probably decline.

So True!