NIGERIA UNDER U.S. PRESSURE TO ACCEPT DEPORTED VENEZUELAN PRISONERS

The Federal Government has hinted that it is being put under pressure to accept Venezuelan prisoners deported from the United States of America. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, YUSUF TUGGAR, who made this known, said that Nigeria will not bow to the pressure from the Donald Trump administration in the US. Speaking on a television programme yesterday, TUGGAR said Nigeria has enough challenges of its own and it won serve as a dumping ground for Venezuelan prisoners. This comes after the United States government announced a series of measures, including tariff hike that affected Nigeria, while President BOLA TINUBU was attending the summit of the BRICS nations in Brazil. The US followed up with the tightening of visa restrictions against Nigerians, restricting Nigerian travellers to the United States with three-month single-entry visa. However, the Foreign Affairs Minister said the US tariff hike might not have to do with Nigeria’s participation in the BRICS summit. He said the administration had started talks aimed at addressing the US visa restrictions imposed on Nigerians, just as he expressed regrets over the fresh visa restrictions against Nigerian travellers by the United Arab Emirates.