Nigeria says it won't accept [Venezuelan] deportees from U.S.: 'We have enough problems of our own'

npr ^ | 07/11/2025 | Emmanuel Akinwotu

[BenLurkin]

Nigeria's government says it will resist pressure from the Trump administration to accept deportees from Venezuela and other third countries.

In an interview with Nigeria's Channels TV on Friday, Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said the U.S. was pressuring several African nations to accept foreign nationals whom the U.S. wants to deport.

"We already have over 230 million people," Tuggar said. "In the words of the famous U.S. rap group Public Enemy — you'll remember a line from Flava Flav: 'Flava Flav has problems of his own. I can't do nothing for you, man.'"

Tuggar's comments mark one of the most high-profile rejections yet of the Trump administration's efforts to deport migrants, under threat of tariffs and visa restrictions for countries that refuse. The U.S. government has not officially confirmed it is pressing African nations to accept third-country nationals.

This month, the U.S. government deported eight men to South Sudan. The deportees, from various countries — including Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cuba and Mexico — had been transferred from the U.S. to a military base in Djibouti in East Africa in May, and they were flown to South Sudan over the weekend after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for their removal.

In May, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told Rwandan state TV that his government was in "early talks" with Washington regarding taking in third-country nationals deported from the United States. The U.S. has also reportedly approached at least three other African nations — Benin, Eswatini and Libya— to accept deported migrants, something that Libya's U.N.-backed government in the west and the military government that controls the east have denied.

This week, the State Department imposed major visa restrictions on citizens from Nigeria, Ethiopia and Cameroon. Nearly all nonimmigrant and nondiplomatic visas issued to citizens of those countries will now be valid for just three months and for a single entry — part of what the U.S. calls a "global reciprocity realignment."

The move has drawn criticism in Nigeria, where officials deny that the restrictions are reciprocal and argue they are instead linked to the country's refusal to comply with U.S. migration demands.

"It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria," said Tuggar. "We have enough problems of our own. We cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria, for crying out loud."

The Nigerian government says it is engaging with U.S. officials to strike new deals involving critical minerals, oil and gas — but will not negotiate away its sovereignty. "We will continue to stand for our national interest," said Tuggar.

Nigeria's stance follows reporting by The Wall Street Journal that the Trump administration urged five African presidents — who met with President Trump at the White House this week — to accept deportees whose home countries refuse to take them back.

The summit, officially focused on trade, included the presidents of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania. But in his opening remarks, Trump referenced migration policy: "I hope we can bring down the high rates of people overstaying visas and also make progress on the safe third-country agreements," he said.

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: nigeria

[BenLurkin]

emphasis added

[BobL]

If only the West had governments as SMART as Nigeria’s government.

[decal]

There are only so many Nigerian princes, phone lines and computers to go around....

[BenLurkin]

Hey, first time I saw one of those it came in over the fax machine. Emails were still some years off.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Send them back to Venezuela. They are the ones who screwed the joint up with their desire for free stuff SOCIALISM.

[metmom]

Exactly.

Send them back where they came from.

[Gene Eric]

that might require parachutes

[mfish13]

NPR is doing sarcasm now?

[DIRTYSECRET]

Guyana. Enlist them in the military and pay them with oil royalties. They can then vacation in Venezuela and flash their money.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Honestly who can blame them?

[HYPOCRACY]

Haiti. Let them see some real gang wars.

[odawg]

Can I make a suggestion? Why not send them back to where they came from? Is that too hard to figure out?

[TigersEye]

Can’t blame ‘em.

[aquila48]

I’m sure they do!

[Tired of Taxes]

These countries shouldn’t be expected to accept people who are not their citizens, either.

Why not send the people here illegally back to their own countries?

[Paul R.]

They won’t take them, and evidently we are not willing to force the issue.

[Lurker]

We don’t need any Nigerians in this country. Cancel all their visas. Give them a week to get out.

That includes their “diplomats”.

L

[Salvavida]

Here’s a decade of US aid to Nigeria:

2015 – $446 million
2016 – $543 million
2017 – $643 million
2018 – $877 million
2019 – $761 million
2020 – $880 million
2021 – $922 million
2022 – $974 million
2023 – $1 billion
2024 – $783 million

That didn’t buy us much, apparently.

[PGR88]

Tuggar said. "In the words of the famous U.S. rap group Public Enemy — you'll remember a line from Flava Flav: 'Flava Flav has problems of his own. I can't do nothing for you, man.'"

What I find strange is that the Foreign Minister of Niger is quoting Flava Flav

[DannyTN]

It’s true, they have a problem trying to get Uncle Obonku’s oil fortune out of Nigeria. No time for prisoners.