The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has disclosed that the United States is actively pressuring African nations, including Nigeria, to accept Venezuelans being deported from the US, many of whom are being expelled directly from American prisons.
Tuggar described the request as an unreasonable burden for Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview on Politics Today aired on Channels Television on Friday, Tuggar expressed firm opposition to the idea, citing Nigeria’s existing challenges and population size.
“You have to also bear in mind that the U.S. is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the U.S., some straight out of prison,” Tuggar said.
“It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own.
“We cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria, for crying out loud. We already have 230 million people. You will be the same people that would castigate us if we acquiesce to accepting Venezuelans from U.S. prisons to be brought in.”
Tuggar further warned that yielding to the U.S. demand could set a dangerous precedent for the future.
“The issue of accepting Venezuelan deportees, honestly, I don’t think is something that Nigeria is in a position to work with. And I think it would be unfair to insist that Nigeria accepts 300 Venezuelan deportees. Maybe that might just even be the beginning,” he added.
Addressing related concerns, Tuggar also spoke on recent U.S. tariffs and dismissed suggestions that they are linked to President Bola Tinubu’s growing ties with BRICS—an economic bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
“The issue of tariffs may not necessarily have to do with us participating in BRICS,” he clarified.
He also responded to reports regarding adjustments in U.S. visa policies for Nigerians, rejecting claims that these changes were based on reciprocity. Tuggar insisted that Nigeria continues to offer generous visa terms to American nationals.
“We are talking to the Americans. We are engaging them. We are also explaining and reminding them that we issue them five-year multiple entry visas, the same way that they issue regular travellers five-year multiple entry visas.
“What Nigeria has done that differs is simple. We used to have a visa-on-arrival that wasn’t running efficiently. We introduced these online electronic visas that you can apply so that it saves you time, instead of just arriving and then going through the process of getting the visa when you have already arrived.”
He explained that visa categories determine validity, pointing out that shorter visas are common for first-time or tourist travelers.
“We have different categories of visas. There are people that are first-time travelers that are coming as tourists that are probably not likely to come back to Nigeria again, maybe because they’re coming for a short while, and they get those 90-day visas.
“So our visa is not saying that every American is only being given 90-day visas or three months or whatever. We give Americans, there are loads of Americans, that have these long-term visas. It is not based on reciprocity,” Tuggar stated.
In April, former U.S. President Donald Trump introduced a new tariff regime, imposing a 10 percent baseline duty on imports from 185 countries. Nigeria was subject to a higher rate, with a 14 percent tariff applied under the revised structure.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State recently announced changes to its visa issuance policies for Nigerian citizens. According to a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja on Tuesday, most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas granted to Nigerians will now be limited to single-entry permits valid for three months.
The embassy noted that the new policy has already taken effect but clarified that “those US non-immigrant visas issued before July 8, 2025, will retain their status and validity.”
