By Ghazali Ibrahim
Tensions are brewing between Nigeria and the United States following reports that the U.S. government has allegedly asked Nigeria to accept 300,000 Venezuelan deportees as a condition for lifting new restrictions on U.S. non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerians.
According to a report by Western Post, the demand was reportedly made during a closed-door meeting held in Abuja earlier this week between U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, and senior Nigerian government officials.
“The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria told Nigerian government officials in a meeting that Nigeria should take 300,000 Venezuelan deported immigrants to get the visa restriction reviewed,” a diplomatic source familiar with the meeting disclosed.
The allegation follows the U.S. government’s recent decision to cut the validity of non-immigrant visas for Nigerians from two years with multiple entries to just three months with a single entry.
Reacting to the report, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, rejected the alleged proposal, saying the country would not be used as a dumping ground for migrants with no ties to Nigeria.
“Nigeria will not serve as a dumping ground for migrants unrelated to its geopolitical obligations,” Tuggar said on Thursday, in reference to what he described as pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
However, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria released a statement on Friday denying any link between the visa policy change and the deportation of Venezuelans or Nigeria’s geopolitical alliances.
“The U.S. Mission Nigeria wishes to address misconceptions about the recent reduction in visa validity… This reduction is not the result of any nation’s stance on third-country deportees, introduction of e-visa policies, or affiliations with groups like BRICS,” the embassy said in a post on its verified X account.
“The reduction in validity is part of an ongoing global review of the use of U.S. visas by other countries using technical and security benchmarks to safeguard U.S. immigration systems.”
Despite the clarification, the reported demand has sparked debate and concern among Nigerians, particularly those affected by the new visa rules, and raised questions about the role of international politics in immigration policy.
So far, the Nigerian government has not officially confirmed the deportee demand but maintains that it will not accept any proposal that undermines the country’s sovereignty or diplomatic integrity.
