The Traffic

🇳🇬 “We’re Not a Dumping Ground”: Nigeria Rejects U.S. Push to Accept Venezuelan Deportees Amid BRICS Tensions

Nigeria has drawn a diplomatic red line—and this time, it's directed squarely at Washington.

Amid mounting tensions between the U.S. and members of the BRICS+ alliance, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, has firmly rejected any attempt by the Trump administration to offload Venezuelan deportees, including ex-prisoners, into Nigerian territory.

Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Tuggar didn’t mince words:

“We have enough problems of our own. We cannot and will not be a dumping ground for Venezuelan prisoners. Nigeria already has over 230 million people to care for.”

His comments come as Nigeria grapples with the implications of its growing global role. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had just wrapped up a high-level appearance at the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro (July 6–7), joining leaders of the now 11-member bloc—an alliance seen by many as an economic counterweight to the West.

🇺🇸 Trump Turns Up the Heat
On the final day of the summit, U.S. President Donald Trump retaliated by announcing an additional 10% tariff on BRICS+ countries—including China, India, and Nigeria—labeling them as “anti-American.”

Though the White House linked the move to national interest, Tuggar suggested the tariff hike might be less about the summit and more about broader geopolitical pressure tactics.

“The issue of tariffs may not necessarily have to do with us attending the BRICS meeting,” Tuggar noted. “But the U.S. is clearly pressuring African nations to take in deportees from Venezuela—many straight from American prisons.”

Nigeria, he stressed, is not having it.

🛑 Visa Tensions and Global Posturing
The Minister also touched on worsening travel issues for Nigerian citizens, confirming that the Tinubu administration has opened dialogue with the U.S. over new visa restrictions. He also called the UAE’s renewed travel curbs on Nigerians “regrettable,” hinting at ongoing diplomatic strain in multiple directions.

🌍 Nigeria’s Rising Profile in BRICS+
In January 2025, Nigeria formally joined BRICS+ as a partner country, aligning with an influential bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, and the UAE.

Together, BRICS+ represents:

~50% of the world’s population

~40% of global economic output

~37% of global GDP

The alliance aims to restructure global power dynamics by challenging the dominance of Western economic institutions—something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Washington.

🔥 Nigeria’s Message to the World?
Loud and clear: Africa’s most populous nation won’t be pushed around.

As diplomatic chess intensifies between the West and the Global South, Nigeria is signaling it’s ready to assert itself—not just as a regional heavyweight, but as a sovereign voice on the global stage.

“We will engage, but on our own terms,” Tuggar emphasized. “Nigeria won’t carry burdens that aren’t ours to bear.”

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna