Nigeria Won’t Comply to U.S. Plan to Relocate Venezuelan Deportees, Says Foreign Minister
…Yusuf Tuggar says Nigeria won’t be ‘dumping ground’ as tensions rise over tariffs and visa curbs
Nigeria has dismissed a proposal by the United States to resettle deported Venezuelan nationals including individuals reportedly held in U.S. prison in African countries, including Nigeria. Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, has firmly rejected attempts by the United States – warning that such a move would be “difficult” and unacceptable for Nigeria.
In an interview on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television, Tuggar revealed that the U.S. was lobbying several African governments to serve as drop-off points for Venezuelan deportees. Nigeria, he said, would not comply.
“It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria,” Tuggar said. “We have enough problems of our own. We already have 230 million people. For crying out loud, we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees from U.S. prisons. And you’ll be the same people castigating us if we agree to it.”
Tuggar’s comments come amid a sharp deterioration in diplomatic goodwill between Abuja and Washington. Just days earlier, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10 per cent tariff on Nigerian exports—fueling speculation that the decision was linked to President Bola Tinubu’s recent attendance at the BRICS summit in Brazil, which Trump had openly criticised.
Adding to the pressure, the U.S. Embassy in Abuja announced a controversial change in visa policy on Tuesday, restricting most Nigerians to single-entry visas with a three-month validity. The move, described as reciprocal, has been strongly challenged by Nigeria.
“The claim of reciprocity is false,” Tuggar said, explaining that Nigeria still issues five-year multiple-entry visas to many American travellers. “What Nigeria has done is to introduce an electronic visa system to improve efficiency and reduce wait times not to curtail access.”
The minister maintained that Nigeria continues to engage U.S. authorities diplomatically, but noted that recent decisions including the tariff hike and stricter visa rules may not necessarily be linked to Nigeria’s growing alignment with BRICS, a bloc that includes China, Russia and Brazil.
“These sanctions may not have anything to do with us participating in BRICS,” Tuggar said. “The issue of tariffs is more complex. But what is clear is that it would be unfair to insist that Nigeria accepts 300 Venezuelan deportees. That might just be the beginning.”
The developments mark a fresh point of friction in Nigeria-U.S. relations, raising questions about Washington’s evolving posture toward Africa and the geopolitical balancing act faced by African nations seeking new alliances amid shifting global power dynamics.
With public sentiment already tense over fuel costs, currency instability and rising inflation, the idea of accepting foreign prisoners into Nigeria has sparked a strong backlash. Observers say the push from Washington is likely to further inflame nationalist rhetoric and calls for greater sovereignty in foreign policy decisions.
For now, Tuggar insists that Nigeria’s focus remain on protecting its own citizens.
“We must not allow ourselves to be turned into a dumping ground. Nigeria has enough to contend with already,” he said.
