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Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar has announced that the country will reject Venezuelan deportees from the United States. His comments came in response to reports of pressure from the US to send Venezuelan deportees, including some incarcerated individuals, to various African nations.
While speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today show on Thursday, Tuggar said that Nigeria is already managing a growing population along with numerous other pressing issues.
“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 to Nigeria. We already have 230 million people.” Tuggar said.
There were speculations that Nigeria’s refusal to accept asylum seekers from the US contributed to the recent visa restrictions imposed on the country by President Donald Trump.
An alleged discrepancy in visa reciprocity from Nigeria was cited as the reason for the severe measures, although the US did not disclose the specifics.
There were allegations—now proven to be untrue—that Nigeria triggered this policy change by halting the issuance of five-year visas to American nationals.
“What Nigeria has done that differs is simple. We used to have visa on arrival that wasn’t running efficiently. We introduced these online electronic visas that you can apply for 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 said.
Tuggar said that discussions with the US are ongoing to clarify this matter. However, he emphasised that Nigeria will not serve as a dumping ground for Venezuelan prisoners deported from the US during Trump’s crackdown on illegal migrants.
Nigeria has requested that the US reconsider its decision, appealing to the spirit of partnership, cooperation, and shared global responsibilities.
