- Yusuf Tuggar said Nigeria has ended talks on accepting U.S. deportees, calling it a closed matter in bilateral relations.
- The Foreign Affairs Minister explained that Nigeria’s priority is training its large population and reducing poverty.
- Tuggar stated that Nigeria’s ties with the United States remain healthy despite the policy decision.
- He urged wealthy nations to pursue mutual respect in trade with Africa, not just resource extraction.
Nigeria has made it clear that it will no longer accept deportees from the United States, as confirmed by Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar. Speaking at the Reuters Next Gulf Summit in Abu Dhabi, Tuggar said the matter is “no longer on the discussion table,” stressing that Nigeria would not take back its nationals under duress.
“That ship has sailed. We made our point, and I believe it’s no longer on the discussion table. We don’t see the need to take nationals from other countries under duress,” the minister stated.
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Tuggar explained that the government’s focus is on developing its growing population rather than dealing with deportation issues. According to him, with a population of over 200 million and projections to reach 400 million in the next 25 years, Nigeria’s priority is to train and empower its workforce.
“Our goal is to train our workforce and ensure we have the right dependency ratio to sustain our future,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs Minister added that the relationship between Nigeria and the U.S. remains strong and that the deportation issue is simply a matter of understanding, not disagreement.
He also criticised how some rich countries approach trade with Africa, saying it should not be like the popular video game Minecraft, where players collect resources without meaningful engagement. Tuggar stressed that foreign nations should relate with Africa based on mutual respect, shared interests, and genuine efforts toward the continent’s development.
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“Sometimes it’s like the game Minecraft: There’s oil, there’s gas, there’s critical minerals, rare earths. We put a bit of this, we invest in this. No, that’s not the way it goes,” Tuggar said. “The engagement should be based on mutual respect, based on shared interests, and based on the fact that Africa needs to develop. If it doesn’t, we continue to face irregular migration and other challenges.”
The minister also pointed out that Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous country and a major oil producer, is less affected by U.S. trade tariffs compared to other nations, maintaining diversified partnerships across multiple global markets
