Keeping with his campaign promise to enact more stringent policies targeting the flow of immigrants into the U.S., President Donald Trump announced new visa restrictions on July 8 impacting four African nations: Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Ethiopia, leaving many people from those countries concerned about their future plans and next steps.
The policy change follows a June 4 presidential proclamation, which immediately imposed either full restrictions or limited entry for 19 countries, most of them located either in Africa or the Middle East.
Those who trace their roots to Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon or Ethiopia, must now contend with visa restrictions that bear no resemblance to those imposed by former President Joe Biden, and they are already feeling the effects. Further, professionals, students, and travelers seeking to visit or study in the U.S. must now grapple with the new policies.
country’s natural wealth and its aspirations for peace and unity. (Courtesy Photo)
“Every Nigerian I know, knows someone who has been impacted by Trump and his agenda,” said Dr. Charles Olawole, 51, a Nigerian-born theologian, who lives in Upper Marlboro, but has been a naturalized citizen for 26 years.
As president and CEO of The Pan-African Unity Summit Group, Olawole routinely travels to Nigeria, and other African nations, and remains keenly aware of the issues and concerns that are most pressing in the minds of most Nigerians.
Some Nigerians, both here in America and abroad, continue to maintain a “wait-and-see” attitude as to how they will be affected by the policy changes. But others have been openly critical about the stance that Trump has taken.
“He’s targeting documented and undocumented people who come from specific countries. He has allowed rampant visa abuse and invoked oppressive travel bans,” Olawole told The Informer. “Even those with green cards are, for the first time in history, afraid and uncertain about their own travel status.”
‘We Want Someone Who Can Teach Us How to Fish So We Don’t Need Handouts’
Sylvester Okere, 60, shares several similarities to Olawole as a Nigerian-born man who has since moved to the United States and become a naturalized citizen.
However, Okere said he supports the president.
“He’s a leader who says what he means, means what he says and calls a spade a spade,” he said.“One of the biggest problems in Africa is poor leadership and inefficient government and after years of neglect, Nigerians like me simply want to see what good leadership is all about.”
While he currently lives in Columbia, Maryland, Okere, the youngest of 11 children, said he works to stay true to Nigerian customs.
“Africans believe in traditional values, family, God, and country,” he said. “What we don’t like is when we are used as pawns in a political game of chess. Africa already has what it needs to feed itself, but we need solid leadership, better training and a greater commitment to preparing youth for the future.”
Okere, who owns a private security firm, said he’s heard too many politicians make too many promises that they don’t keep. Driven toward change, he once served as the African Diaspora Liaison to the National Democratic Party, but resigned in 2016, frustrated by what he explained as the ineptitude of his colleagues.
“I was tired of seeing folks pose for photo ops and use people for their own political gains,” he said. “Nigerians want a leader not a politician. We want someone who clearly loves his country and his people and will fight for them. We want someone who can teach us how to fish so we don’t need handouts. That’s why a lot of us support Trump.”
Resources in a Time of Uncertainty
Representatives from The Nigerian Center in Southeast, D.C., noted the nonprofit has seen an increased flow of traffic since the second Trump administration and announcement of the recent restrictions.
People like Olawole note there’s a heightened sense of anxiety and confusion that has since erupted among Nigerians who currently live, work or study in the Washington metropolitan area.
“The worst thing is how these policies are separating families,” Olawole told The Informer. “My people are suffering from fear, mental anguish and depression. They’re even afraid to gather in places where they’ve received encouragement and passed on their traditions to future generations: schools, grocery stores, and churches.”
Further, Olawole emphasized that people on the continent are also aware of how their lives can be upended when a changing of the guard in the White House leads to revisions in U.S. foreign policies.
“With the cuts in medical assistance, we’re already seeing a rise in cases of malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis,” Olawole continued. “God only knows what will happen if we see another pandemic like COVID develop.”
Gbenga Ogunjimi, founder and executive director of the D.C.-based Nigerian Center, understands the difficulties in excelling in a new country from firsthand experience.
“I discovered during my time here the need for financial inclusion for Nigerian immigrants and the need to connect the Nigerian American diaspora to its Nigerian heritage and culture,” Ogunjimo said in a statement. “Immigrant community centers have been a proven strategy for financial inclusion for newly migrated individuals.”
The Nigerian Center offers a walk-in clinic (Thursdays, 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.), and a hotline (800-395-9272), with a legal team ready to provide free advice, application and representation support on a variety of immigration issues, from naturalization and asylum to family or work petitions.
“The noble privileges of becoming a U.S. citizen, voting for the first time, or even running for public office are all extremely rewarding, yet no easy feat,” he said. “Places like the Nigerian Center make achieving these accomplishments more palatable as they are the infrastructure that undergirds an immigrant’s journey towards self-sufficiency while becoming a contributing member of society.”
So many dreams, plans, and futures suddenly thrown into uncertainty doesn’t just feel unsettling—it’s personal for countless families and professionals who mapped out their goals well in advance.
It’s more than policy on paper. Students planning on starting or continuing their programs are being forced to reconsider everything—from financial aid to living arrangements. Professionals with job offers or business travel lined up now face serious disruptions. And ordinary travelers hoping to visit loved ones are stuck in limbo, constrained by short-term, single-entry visas that make multiple trips almost impossible.
That’s why the global reaction matters, as noted in the article. Nigeria’s request for the U.S. to revisit these moves isn’t complaining— it’s a plea for the flexibility and mutual respect that historic partnership warrants.