Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, has stated that recent U.S. tariffs have not significantly harmed the country, emphasizing Nigeria’s diversified trade relationships and strategic economic policies. Speaking at the Reuters NEXT Gulf summit in Abu Dhabi, Tuggar noted that Nigeria’s large internal market, projected to grow from 230 million to 400 million by 2050, along with strong trade ties with China, India, and Brazil, provide resilience against U.S. trade measures, as reported by Reuters.
Tuggar highlighted that Nigeria’s crude oil and gas exports are largely exempt from U.S. tariffs, which primarily affect non-oil goods. In 2024, over 90% of Nigeria’s exports to the U.S. were oil and mineral products, with non-oil exports representing a small fraction, according to Premium Times.
The minister also criticized the approach of some wealthy nations toward trade with Africa, likening it to a resource extraction game, and called for partnerships based on mutual respect and shared interests. He stressed that such collaboration is essential for Africa’s development and to address issues like irregular migration, as reported by TRT Afrika.
Responding to claims of religious persecution, Tuggar rejected narratives of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing them as misleading and affirming the country’s long history of religious coexistence, according to Reuters.
