Nigeria Won’t Bow To US Pressure To Accept Venezuelan Deportees – FG

Nigeria will not yield to pressure from the United States to accept Venezuelan deportees, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar has said, insisting that the country will not serve as a dumping ground for foreign prisoners. Tuggar made the statement during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he addressed mounting U.S. demands under President Donald Trump’s renewed crackdown on undocumented migrants.

Speaking amid growing diplomatic tension, Tuggar said, “It would be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own; we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees. We already have 230 million people.”

The U.S. has reportedly asked several African countries, including Nigeria, to receive deportees of Venezuelan origin, some of whom are reportedly coming directly from American prisons. Tuggar made it clear that Nigeria faces significant domestic challenges and will not compromise its national interest by accepting individuals with no ties to the country.

The minister’s remarks come in the wake of Nigeria’s participation in the BRICS Summit held from July 6 to 7 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. President Bola Tinubu joined other world leaders at the summit of the expanded BRICS+ bloc, which now includes countries such as Egypt, Iran, and the UAE. On the final day of the summit, President Trump announced a 10 percent tariff increase on imports from BRICS nations, which he described as “anti-American.”

Tuggar, however, downplayed any direct link between Nigeria’s BRICS+ participation and the U.S. tariff decision. “The issue of tariffs may not necessarily have to do with us participating in the BRICS meeting,” he said, suggesting broader geopolitical motives behind the U.S. trade stance.

He also confirmed that Nigeria has begun dialogue with Washington over new U.S. visa restrictions placed on Nigerian nationals. Additionally, Tuggar expressed regret over recent visa limitations imposed by the United Arab Emirates, calling the move unfortunate for Nigerian travellers.

Nigeria was invited to join the BRICS+ bloc earlier in January 2025 as a partner country. Originally formed in 2006, BRICS brings together some of the world’s largest emerging economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—with its expanded membership now accounting for around 37 percent of global GDP and nearly half of the world’s population.