The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced that all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are now required to set the privacy settings of their social media accounts to “public.”

F, M, and J visas are nonimmigrant categories issued by the US government for individuals entering the country for educational and exchange programmes.

The mission stated that applicants in these categories must now make their social media profiles public as part of a new visa regulation.

The announcement was made on the official X page of the United States Diplomatic Mission Nigeria on Monday, stating that the new rule takes immediate effect.

“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their personal social media accounts to ‘public,’” the post read.

According to the post, this requirement is designed to support efforts to verify the identities of applicants and assess their eligibility to enter the United States.

“We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to US national security,” the post said.

When the update was initially announced in June, the US emphasised that a visa “is a privilege, not a right.”

On June 18, 2025, the US Department of State published a notice on its website explaining that under the new policy, “we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications.”

“To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public.’”

The statement added, “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.

“The United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”

There are concerns that the Senate leadership may clash with the suspended senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, after she vowed to attend the plenary today.

The Senate is, however, preparing for a possible confrontation and has stated that it will not take any official action on the matter until it reviews the Certified True Copy of the court’s ruling.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, in a video circulating on social media, told her excited supporters that she would return to her legislative duties in the Red Chamber on Tuesday.

She also thanked her constituents for their support after the court ruling that upheld her position in the Senate.

She said, “I thank you for your support. I am glad we are victorious today. We shall resume in the Senate on Tuesday by the grace of God.”

A Federal High Court in Abuja had, on Friday, overturned the six-month suspension placed on Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate.

The court ruled that the suspension was excessive, unconstitutional, and violated the rights of her constituents, ordering her immediate reinstatement.

The court also imposed a fine of N5m on her for contempt over a Facebook post deemed to have breached an earlier court order.

Justice Binta Nyako, in her ruling, stated that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Facebook post, which contained a satirical apology aimed at Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, violated an interim injunction issued on March 4, 2025.

The injunction had prohibited all parties from making public comments or social media posts related to the ongoing legal case challenging her suspension.

However, less than 24 hours after she announced plans to return to plenary, the Senate stated that it would wait to receive and review the Certified True Copy of the court’s judgment before taking any official steps.

In a statement on Sunday, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, explained that although their legal team was present in court, the full judgment was not read aloud.

He also mentioned that a formal request had been made to obtain the Certified True Copy for a complete understanding of the court’s decision and any specific directives.

The statement partly read, “Pending receipt and examination of the CTC, and acting on the advice of counsel, the Senate shall refrain from taking any steps that may prejudice its legal position.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months in March after a heated session where she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.

Her suspension drew widespread criticism from civil society organisations and human rights advocates.

She later filed a lawsuit against the Senate and its leadership, claiming that the suspension was a deliberate attempt to silence her and deny her constituents representation.

Following a satirical Facebook post dated April 27, where she offered what the court described as a “mock apology” to Akpabio, the Senate President’s legal team filed a contempt charge against her.

They argued that the post defied the court’s gag order.

During the hearing, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers argued that the post had nothing to do with the suspension case, maintaining it was related to her separate misconduct claims against the Senate President.

However, Justice Nyako disagreed, ruling that the post was connected to the case and constituted a clear violation of the court’s order.

The judge imposed a N5m fine on her and ordered her to issue a public apology within seven days.

The judge further directed that the apology must be published in two national newspapers and reposted on her Facebook page.

As of Monday evening, Akpoti-Uduaghan had not yet published the apology in the required newspapers or on her Facebook page.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has instructed its members across the country to begin an indefinite strike over the delayed payment of their June salaries, reports thegazellenews.com

According to ASUU’s leadership, this decision is in line with the union’s policy of no pay no work.

ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the development to Tribune Online on Monday, 7 July, 2025, in Abuja. He explained that universities are only enforcing a National Executive Council resolution, which states that if salaries are delayed beyond three days into the new month, members should stop work until they are paid.

Piwuna criticised government officials for their indifferent attitude towards the issue of lecturers’ salaries, describing the salaries as meagre.

He explained that since university workers were moved from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, members have been facing serious difficulties due to salary delays.

He said the union had engaged with government officials, including the Minister of Education and the Accountant General of the Federation, but there was no positive outcome. As a result, the ASUU NEC decided to enforce the “No Pay, No Work” policy.

He said: “What they are doing is just enforcing a NEC resolution. We have agreed at NEC that our members are going through a lot since our migration out of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System. Certainly, our salaries are delayed for a week and sometimes 10 days before our members receive the paltry amount we get to help us carry out our duties well.

Therefore, we agreed that if there is no pay, there will be no work,” Piwuna said.

When asked if other universities would join the strike, the ASUU President said every institution that has not received payment is expected to stop work, stressing that this was the NEC’s resolution and the only way to address the issue, which he said is being deliberately caused by certain government officials, particularly at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

He stated that any institution yet to be paid will join the strike because “we are tired of talking about this.”

“We have spoken to the relevant authorities—the minister is aware, the Office of the Accountant General is aware. All those concerned are aware that this thing has been happening. We’ve had meetings with them to express our dissatisfaction with the way our salaries are being paid, and they have not taken any action. We want to work, but we cannot because they have not allowed us to work,” he stated.

Piwuna stressed that there is no valid reason for the government to delay salary payments, as the payment platform has no issues.

He noted that once funds are released to universities, there are no complaints about underpayment or non-payment of salaries.

“So, the platform through which the payment is effected has not been the problem. It’s just a deliberate effort by the Office of the Accountant General to delay the release of the funds. The platform is working well, but those who make it work are not willing to make it work. We think it’s a deliberate act; that is the point we are making,” the ASUU President added.

He also highlighted that salary delay is currently the most urgent problem for union members, and warned that the government must release the outstanding N10 billion Earned Academic Allowance without delay to prevent another crisis.

He said the government was expected to pay N50 billion in total, but only N40 billion has been disbursed, leaving a balance of N10 billion.

“On the EAA you talked about, the total amount was N50 billion, and what they gave to us is N40 billion. N10 billion is still outstanding. We hope that this is paid quickly so that we do not have to fight over it,” the ASUU President said.

Chairman of the University of Jos branch of ASUU, Jurbe Molwus, announced that members of the union at the university had stopped work due to the delay in their June 2025 salaries.

Molwus explained that the action followed the National Executive Council resolution, which directs branches to act whenever salaries are not paid by the third day of a new month, with the congress supporting this decision. He said union members have stopped attending lectures and statutory meetings.

The Chairman added that any time salaries are delayed beyond the third day of the month, lecturers would continue to withdraw their services.

He also mentioned that the branch’s strike monitoring team had been activated to ensure full compliance.

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at the University of Abuja also withdrew their services on Monday over the delay in the payment of their June 2025 salaries, according to Nigerian Tribune.

Chairman of the UniAbuja branch of ASUU, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, did not respond to calls to confirm the strike action by his members.

However, the spokesperson for the University of Abuja, Dr. Habib Yakoob, said he was not in a position to comment on the matter and advised that questions about the June salaries or the strike should be directed to the ASUU branch chairman.