Nigeria Rejects U.S. Pressure to Accept Venezuelan Deportees, Defends BRICS Participation

Nigeria has firmly refused to yield to pressure from the Donald Trump administration to accept Venezuelan deportees, including prisoners, from the United States.

Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar made this clear during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, stating that Nigeria faces enough domestic challenges and cannot serve as a dumping ground for deportees amid Trump’s crackdown on undocumented migrants.

The announcement comes as President Bola Tinubu attended the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 6–7, 2025. On the final day of the summit, U.S. President Donald Trump declared an additional 10% trade tariff on “anti-American” BRICS nations, including China, India, and Nigeria.

However, Tuggar suggested that the tariff threat may not be directly linked to Nigeria’s participation in the summit.

“The issue of tariffs may not necessarily stem from our involvement in the BRICS meeting,” Tuggar said.

He highlighted that the U.S. has been pressuring African nations to accept Venezuelan deportees, many of whom are prisoners. “Nigeria cannot accommodate Venezuelan deportees—we already have a population of 230 million and our own challenges to address,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, the Tinubu administration has begun discussions with the U.S. over recent visa restrictions imposed on Nigerian nationals.

Tuggar also expressed disappointment over similar visa constraints introduced by the United Arab Emirates.

Nigeria officially joined BRICS+ as a partner country in January 2025. Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, BRICS was established in 2006 to unite major developing economies and counterbalance the dominance of wealthier Western nations.

The expanded BRICS+ now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the UAE, representing 37% of global GDP, half of the world’s population, and 40% of global economic output.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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