The United States Department of State has invited Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs and an interagency, delegation to Washington DC to discuss trade, security and good governance. The invitation was made public less than 24 hours after the Donald Trump-led administration placed an immigrant visa ban on Nigeria. According to the media note shared by the US Department of State, “on February 3-4, the Department of State has the pleasure of receiving Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and his interagency delegation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Washington, D.C., for the 2020 U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission”. The theme of this year’s BNC is ‘Innovation and Ingenuity,’ which reflects the entrepreneurial, inventive, and industrious spirit shared by the Nigerian and American people,” the note read. “Established ten years ago, the Binational Commission is the premiere platform of engagement between Governments of the United States and Nigeria to expand cooperation and advance shared goals. “Our delegations will discuss areas of strategic collaboration toward measurable progress, particularly in the areas of trade and investment, development, good governance, and security cooperation.” Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the department of homeland security, had said the new immigration restrictions are designed to “address security concerns in the way the banned countries track their own citizens, share information with the U.S. and cooperate on immigration matters”. Before the visa ban, President Trump and President Muhammadu Buhari have met in the US to discuss issues surrounding the situation in Nigeria and agricultural trade between both countries. Other countries affected by the visa ban are Eritrea, Sudan, Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan, and Myanmar.
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