Excitement as Trump’s proposed travel ban excludes Nigeria

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a travel ban affecting 43 countries, but Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, is notably absent from the list.

According to a Reuters report citing an internal memo, the proposed restrictions divide countries into three categories: red, orange, and yellow.

The red list includes 11 countries—Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Cuba, Bhutan, Venezuela, North Korea, Yemen, and Somalia—whose nationals would be completely barred from entering the U.S. The orange list consists of 10 countries, including Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Pakistan, where visa access would be significantly restricted.

The yellow list features 22 nations, such as Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe. These countries have 60 days to address U.S. concerns before facing potential restrictions.

While several African nations appear on the list, major economies like Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, and Egypt are not included.

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However, three Caribbean nations—Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia—are on the yellow list. These countries are known for selling citizenship through investment programs, a practice that has drawn EU scrutiny due to security risks.

In 2023, the EU raised alarms over ‘golden passports’ after discovering that Caribbean nations had granted citizenship to 88,000 individuals from countries like Iran, Nigeria, Russia, and China. Dominica, with a population of 70,000, had issued 34,500 passports, while St. Kitts and Nevis, with 48,000 residents, had distributed 36,700.

A U.S. official stated that the travel ban proposal remains under review and could change. The move is part of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, launched at the start of his second term in January.