Nigeria has turned down an appeal from the United States to accept Venezuelan nationals slated for deportation, including some with criminal records, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar has disclosed.
Speaking during a one-on-one interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Tuggar revealed that Washington has been putting pressure on several African nations to take in Venezuelan deportees, a move Nigeria cannot entertain.
“It’s not realistic for Nigeria to accept Venezuelans being deported from US prisons,” the minister said. “We have our own challenges, including a population of over 230 million. Bringing in deportees from another continent is not feasible.”
Tuggar expressed concern that succumbing to such a request could spark public backlash. “The same people urging us now would turn around to criticise us if we accepted deportees with criminal records,” he noted.
The minister also addressed recent speculation linking the United States’ 10 per cent tariff hike on Nigerian exports to President Bola Tinubu’s engagement with BRICS nations. He clarified that the decision might be unrelated.
“The tariff issue isn’t necessarily about BRICS,” Tuggar said. “There are other broader geopolitical and economic factors at play.”
Earlier in the week, former US President Donald Trump hosted leaders from five West African countries—Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal—at the White House, noticeably excluding President Tinubu. This meeting came just days after Tinubu attended the BRICS summit in Brazil, leading to speculation that Nigeria’s growing ties with the alliance might be drawing US disapproval.
Further straining diplomatic relations, the US Embassy in Nigeria announced a change to its visa policy, reducing visa validity for Nigerians to single-entry three-month permits. Tuggar refuted the US claim that this move was based on reciprocity.
“Nigeria has long provided five-year multiple-entry visas to American citizens,” he said. “What we’ve done recently is to improve efficiency by introducing electronic visas to replace the problematic visa-on-arrival process.”
He explained that visa durations differ depending on the purpose and frequency of travel. “First-time tourists, for instance, may only get 90-day visas. But many Americans still receive long-term visas to Nigeria,” Tuggar clarified.
The minister also warned that agreeing to the US request to accept 300 Venezuelan deportees could set a dangerous precedent. “This might just be the beginning. It’s not fair for Nigeria to be put in this position,” he added.
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