FG Responds to U.S. Proposal to Accept Deported Foreign Nationals
- Nigeria has rejected a U.S. request to accept deported foreign nationals by mentioning security and economic concerns
- Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar criticised the policy, saying it would add to the country’s existing burdens
- The disagreement has coincided with the U.S. cutting most Nigerian non-diplomatic visas to single-entry, three-month validity
The Federal Government has declined a United States request that Nigeria accept deported foreign nationals. Officials said the proposal clashes with the country’s present security and economic realities.
Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Vanguard the decision followed a careful assessment of risks and benefits.
Source: Getty Images
“Even if other African countries are accepting deportees from the U.S., Nigeria will not. We are a sovereign nation and we take decisions only after fully analysing the implications to our national security,” Ebienfa said.
Officials listed internal security pressures and resource limits as major factors behind the refusal.
Abuja acknowledged that several African states have signed arrangements with Washington to receive deportees, yet it argued those deals do not fit Nigeria’s current capacity.
Nigerian FM slams US proposal
Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar has criticised the policy that produced the U.S. request. He said the previous U.S. administration pursued a third-country deportation approach that would route foreign nationals through African states.
“The U.S. is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the U.S., some straight out of prisons,” Tuggar disclosed.
Government advisers warned that accepting transfers of that nature would deepen existing social and security burdens.
They said proper implementation would demand strict screening, legal guarantees and sustained funding that Nigeria cannot commit to at present.
Tuggar framed the issue in stark practical terms saying:
“It will be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners. We already have 230 million people and enough problems of our own. We cannot accept Venezuelan deportees, for crying out loud.”
US toughens immigration laws for Nigerians
While the full record of diplomatic exchanges remains confidential, the dispute has produced concrete consequences.
In June, the U.S. Department of State revised visa conditions for Nigerians, shrinking the validity of many non-diplomatic visas to single-entry permits valid for three months.
Source: Getty Images
Nigerian officials called the move a major break from past reciprocity arrangements and a sign of mounting friction over migration and security policy.
Tinubu’s govt takes action as Trump plans to deport Nigerians
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Federal Government said it is ready to welcome deported Nigerians from the United States of America.
The administration has already set up an inter-agency committee for deported Nigerians amid President Donald Trump's crackdown.
This was confirmed by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the Director of Media and Corporate Affairs of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
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Source: Legit.ng
