Nigeria Rejects U.S. Push to Accept Venezuelan Deportees — Foreign Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has said Nigeria will not accept deported Venezuelan nationals, especially those coming directly from U.S. prisons. He stated this while speaking on Politics Today, a programme aired Friday evening on Channels Television.
Tuggar disclosed that the United States is exerting pressure on several African countries, including Nigeria, to receive Venezuelan deportees. He emphasized that such a move would be difficult for Nigeria to comply with.
“The U.S. is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to take in deported Venezuelans, some of whom are being released straight from prison,” he said. “It would be extremely difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept them. We already have our own challenges, and with a population of 230 million, we simply cannot handle this.”
The minister stressed that accepting such individuals would trigger public outrage. “You would be the same people to criticize us if we agreed to accept Venezuelans from U.S. prisons,” he added.
Tuggar also addressed the recent 10 per cent tariffs imposed on Nigerian exports by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, clarifying that the move may not be linked to President Bola Tinubu’s recent engagement with BRICS nations.
“The tariffs may not necessarily have to do with our participation in BRICS,” he noted.
President Trump had earlier met with leaders of five West African nations — Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal — excluding Nigeria. The meeting was followed by the imposition of tariffs and a tightening of visa policies for Nigerians.
The U.S. Embassy recently announced new visa restrictions for Nigerians, including a shift to single-entry, three-month visas. Tuggar countered claims that the policy is based on reciprocity, insisting that Nigeria already grants Americans similar or better terms.
“Nigeria offers Americans five-year multiple-entry visas. We’ve also introduced online electronic visas to streamline processing. Not every American gets a 90-day visa; many still receive long-term ones,” he explained.
The minister concluded by reaffirming that while Nigeria continues to engage diplomatically with the U.S., the idea of accepting deported Venezuelans is neither practical nor fair.
