Nigeria will not yield to pressure from the Donald Trump administration to accept Venezuelan deportees from the United States, according to the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Tuggar stated that Nigeria is already grappling with its own challenges and will not serve as a dumping ground for Venezuelan prisoners deported by the U.S. as part of Trump’s ongoing clampdown on undocumented migrants.
President Bola Tinubu represented Nigeria at the BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 6 to 7, 2025, alongside other world leaders.
During the final day of the summit hosted by the 11-member BRICS bloc, which is largely influenced by China, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose an additional 10 percent trade tariff on what he called “anti-American” BRICS nations — including China, India, and Nigeria.
Tuggar, however, suggested that the tariff threat may not necessarily be linked to Nigeria’s participation in the summit.
Tuggar said, “The issue of tariffs may not necessarily have to do with us participating in the BRICS meeting.
“You have to also bear in mind that the US is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prisons.
“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.”
The minister stated that the Tinubu administration has initiated discussions with the United States regarding the newly imposed visa restrictions on Nigerian nationals. He, however, expressed disappointment over the recent visa limitations placed on Nigerian travellers by the United Arab Emirates.
In January 2025, Nigeria accepted an invitation to join BRICS+ as a partner nation.
BRICS — representing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — was established in 2006 as a coalition of major emerging economies aiming to counterbalance the political and economic dominance of North America and Western Europe.
Now expanded to BRICS+, the bloc has welcomed new members such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
Together, BRICS+ nations contribute approximately 37% of the global GDP and represent nearly half of the world’s population, accounting for 40% of global economic output.