KEY POINTS
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US visa and passport services in Nigeria will continue.
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Embassy social media accounts will only post urgent alerts.
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750,000 US federal workers risk unpaid furloughs daily.
The United States Embassy in Nigeria has confirmed that visa and passport services will continue, even as a partial shutdown of the US government disrupts operations in Washington.
Embassy reassures applicants amid shutdown
In a notice shared on Wednesday through its official X account, the embassy clarified that while its social media platforms will not be updated regularly during the funding lapse, urgent safety and security information will still be posted. The statement stressed that scheduled passport and visa services both in the United States and at embassies and consulates abroad will carry on “as the situation permits.”
The clarification comes amid rising concern among Nigerians, particularly students and travelers, who feared delays in visa appointments or disruptions in travel plans. Many had worried the political deadlock in Washington could trickle down to embassy services in Abuja and Lagos.
Visa and passport services remain active
The ongoing shutdown was triggered by a budget impasse between US lawmakers and the White House. Democrats have pushed for additional healthcare funding, which Republicans resisted, prompting President Donald Trump to allow federal operations to stall. He defended the move, saying it would help cut back on programs linked to Democratic priorities.
While essential services such as the military, postal service, Social Security, and food stamp programs will remain active, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are facing furloughs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 750,000 workers could be sent home without pay each day until a funding deal is reached.
Accoridng to Punch, this shutdown is the first since the 35-day closure almost seven years ago during Trump’s first term, which was the longest in US history. Since 1976, when the current budget process was created, the US has endured 21 government shutdowns, many sparked by disputes over funding priorities.
Despite the ripple effects, the embassy’s reassurance means Nigerians applying for visas or awaiting passport services will not see an immediate disruption. But with no end in sight to the political standoff in Washington, uncertainty remains over how long services can be sustained without new appropriations.
