Fresh insights have surfaced revealing that the recent U.S. visa restrictions imposed on Nigerians by former President Donald Trump were triggered by Nigeria’s refusal to accept deportees—particularly Venezuelans with criminal records—being expelled from American prisons.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday evening.
Tuggar explained that the U.S. had pressured Nigeria and other African countries to take in Venezuelan deportees, describing the request as unjust and unreasonable.
“The US is mounting considerable pressure on African countries, including Nigeria, to accept Venezuelans being deported, some straight out of prison,” Tuggar said.
“We already have over 230 million people and our own domestic challenges. It is unfair to insist that we bring Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We cannot do that.”
The minister’s revelation comes amid speculation that the Trump administration’s move to introduce a 10 per cent tariff on Nigerian exports—alongside new visa restrictions—was a form of retaliation against Nigeria’s firm stance and its increasing diplomatic engagement with BRICS nations.
Tuggar, however, dismissed claims that Nigeria’s recent participation in BRICS directly led to the trade tariffs, saying:
“The issue of tariffs may not necessarily be linked to us participating in BRICS.”
Earlier this week, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria revised its visa policy, reducing validity for Nigerians from multiple-entry five-year visas to a single-entry visa valid for just three months. The embassy cited “reciprocity” as the basis for this change.
But Tuggar pushed back on that explanation:
“The claim of reciprocity is false. We still issue U.S. citizens five-year multiple entry visas, just as they issue to Nigerian travellers.”
He clarified that Nigeria had only upgraded its visa system by implementing an online electronic visa platform to improve efficiency, moving away from the previous visa-on-arrival model that was prone to delays.
Diplomatic sources further revealed that Washington has lobbied several countries to act as temporary host nations for asylum seekers awaiting case reviews—a process that can take up to seven years. While some nations have quietly accepted this arrangement, Nigeria has maintained its opposition.
Tuggar warned that conceding to the U.S. request would create a dangerous precedent:
“If we agree to take these Venezuelan deportees now, it could open the door for more in the future. Today it might be 300, tomorrow it could be thousands.”
Observers note that Trump’s administration frequently used pressure tactics—including trade sanctions and visa restrictions—to gain leverage in diplomatic negotiations, often to push through controversial immigration deals.
Since taking office, Trump signed multiple executive orders aimed at accelerating deportations, including relocating asylum seekers to third-party countries. Several African nations—like Rwanda, Libya, and Djibouti—as well as Central American states like El Salvador and Panama, have reportedly participated in similar deals.
Additionally, the U.S. requested that its citizens be granted electronic visa access to Nigeria without needing to visit embassies. According to sources, Nigeria declined the proposal, citing the absence of equivalent privileges for Nigerians traveling to the U.S.
In its revised visa guidelines, the U.S. listed further requirements Nigeria must meet to restore visa reciprocity, including issuing more secure travel documents, implementing stronger visa overstay controls, and sharing criminal and security data with American authorities.
It is also understood that Washington seeks access to Nigeria’s criminal database to help identify and deport Nigerian nationals with criminal histories currently living in the United States.
Despite mounting external pressure, the Nigerian government has so far stood firm, maintaining that national security and sovereignty must come first.
