Former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has urged Nigerians to remain at home and contribute to national development following the imposition of fresh United States travel restrictions on the country.

Sani said the decision by the United States authorities was a clear signal that migrants from developing nations were no longer welcome, warning Nigerians against celebrating the development under the false assumption that it targets only government officials.

The United States had, on Tuesday, listed Nigeria among 15 countries placed under partial travel restrictions, following an update to its immigration policy.

Under a proclamation signed by President Donald Trump, the issuance of both immigrant and non-immigrant visas to Nigerians has been suspended. The affected categories include B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas, which are commonly used for tourism, business, study and exchange programmes.

The proclamation further directed U.S. consular officers to reduce the validity of any other non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerian nationals to the extent permitted by law.

The development came weeks after Washington announced visa sanctions against Nigerians accused of undermining religious freedom.

U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said the restrictions were targeted at individuals who “knowingly direct, authorise, fund, support or carry out violations of religious freedom.”

Reacting in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Wednesday, Sani faulted Nigerians who welcomed the restrictions, stressing that the measures affect ordinary citizens.

“The second visa restriction is for everyone, now that Nigeria is listed among 23 other countries,” he said.

He added that the composition of the affected countries raised questions about the stated justification of security concerns.

“The recent list has no Arab countries but mostly Black Africans and Caribbeans, even though safety and security was used as the basis. The message is very clear: third-world migrants are not welcome,” Sani said.

He advised Nigerians to focus on addressing internal challenges rather than seeking opportunities abroad.

“Stay back and build your country or deal with your problems,” he added.

The restrictions, however, do not apply to lawful permanent residents of the United States. Also exempted are foreign nationals with valid visas issued before the effective date of the proclamation, athletes, dual citizens of non-restricted countries and employees of the U.S. government.