Nigeria’s foreign minister says the country will not bow to pressure from the Trump administration to accept Venezuelan deportees from the US, following visa curbs and threats of tariff hikes.
Yusuf Tuggar told privately-owned Channels TV that Nigeria had “enough problems” of its own and would not host foreign prisoners from the US.
“We already have over 230 million people,” the minister said.
“You will be the same person that will castigate us if we acquiesce to accepting Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria,” he added.
“It will be unfair for Nigeria to accept 300 Venezuelan deportees,” he said, suggesting that the recent visa curbs on Nigerian travellers by the US was not “reciprocal” but a pressure tactic.
Earlier this week, the US Department of State said as part of a “global reciprocity realignment”, nearly all non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria, as well as those of Cameroon and Ethiopia, would now be single-entry and valid for only three months.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has threatened to hit countries which side with the policies of the Brics alliance that go against US interests with an extra 10% tariff.
Brics is an alliance of 11 developing nations designed to challenge the political and economic power of the West. They are: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, as well as Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria is not a full member of Brics but it became the ninth partner country of the alliance in January.
Mr Tuggar said the threat of tariff hikes did not “necessarily have to do with us participating in Brics.
“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 prison,” he added.
“It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelans prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own, we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria, for crying out loud,” he concluded.
Credit: GRAPHICONLINE