The passenger movement between Nigeria and the United State is expected to slow down as soon as the visa ban imposed on Nigeria by the US is implemented, stakeholders in the travel industry have noted.

This is coming after the recent passenger boom on the Nigeria-US route with American Airlines increasing their frequencies.

However, the traffic between the two countries is expected to be significantly impacted by the visa ban which takes effect on January 1st 2026.

The US embassy in Nigeria has announced the suspension of visa issuance for Nigerians with effect from January 1, 2026.

This followed the recent US Department of State’s announcement that effective January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, it will partially suspend the issuance of visas for nationals of 19 countries, including Nigeria, Angola, Cuba, Venezuela, and several others.

Effective January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, in line with Presidential Proclamation 10998 on “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” the Department of State had announced that is partially suspending visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – for non-immigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas.

However, the US Embassy in Nigeria reiterated the suspension on Monday, informing prospective applicants of the new development.

The embassy said, “Effective January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, in line with Presidential Proclamation 10998 on “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” the Department of State is partially suspending visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – for non-immigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas with limited exceptions for:

The Nigeria-US route is one of the viable international routes operated by foreign airlines.

Currently, two US-based carriers – Delta and United – operate direct flights between Nigeria and the US while other foreign airlines like Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air, British Airways, Kenya Airways, among others also fly to the US through their various hubs.

In 2024, the Open Sky agreement between Nigeria and the US formally came into effect 20 years after the agreement was signed with Nigerian airlines missing out of the US-Nigeria boom.

The US Embassy in Nigeria on May 17, 2024 announced that the “U.S.-Nigeria Air Transport Agreement, which has been provisionally applied since 2000, entered into force on May 13, 2024.”

According to the statement, “This bilateral agreement establishes a modern civil aviation relationship with Nigeria consistent with U.S. Open Skies international aviation policy and with commitments to high standards of aviation safety and security.”

“The agreement includes provisions that allow for unrestricted capacity and frequency of services, open route rights, a liberal charter regime, and open code-sharing opportunities.

“This agreement with Nigeria is a step forward in liberalizing the international civil aviation sector in Africa and further expands our strong economic and commercial partnership, promotes people-to-people ties, and creates new opportunities for airlines, travel companies, and customers.

“With this agreement, air carriers can provide more affordable, convenient, and efficient air services to travellers and shippers, which in turn promotes tourism and commerce.”

The agreement implies that Nigerian airlines can have unfettered access to the US airspace, flying to any country in America and forging partnerships with US carriers.

However, despite Nigerian airlines’ absence on the route, the US-Nigeria remains one of the viable routes with passengers trooping for businesses, education and leisure.

But many students planning to enrol in any US educational institution would have to cancel the plan for now as soon as the visa ban takes effect.

Speaking with our correspondent, President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mr. Yinka Folami said the recent visa ban would slow down traffic on the route.

He however stated that the next thing is for Nigerians to go to where they are wanted as they are bound to respect the laws of the US.

“The visa ban would definitely have an effect on traffic and traffic would have a consequent effect on the patronage of American airlines or travel to America.

“When the ban comes into effect, it will definitely have an effect on traffic. Even the restriction of visa to three months is already having an effect on traffic to the US,” he said.

According to him, “what America is basically telling us is that we should go where we are wanted and that has always been my position as a Nigerian. We should always go where we are welcome.”

He stated that Nigerians are good people and the whole world would welcome them anytime, adding, “But in the meantime, we have to respect the laws of their land, that is their immigration policy and we have to respect it.”

“From observation and experience, the traffic has dropped,” Folami added.

Also speaking, aviation analyst, Capt. Samuel Caulcrick stated that the ban would enable people to discover other places to travel to apart from the US.

He however noted that the effect of the visa ban might be minimal on flight operations between the two countries as there are many US nationals who would want to return home.

“When I was growing up, people were going to Europe, not America. Then America opened up because their universities needed the money. It is their universities that would feel the Trump effect because they are making billions from Africa. It is America that would lose really because the amount of money people from Africa and Asia are spending on the education of their children is much,” he added. (Daily Trust)

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