We welcome di return of Nigerians wey no go US legally - Foreign minister

Nigeria Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar don explain di country stand on some foreign affairs issues wey concern di US deportation of Nigerians, cases of sextortion by Nigerian nationals and di Binance scandal.

Wen e tok to BBC for inside exclusive interview, Oga Tuggar say some of dis policies no dey new but Nigeria stand na to beta di lot of Nigerians in di long run.

US deporting Nigerian Immigrants

On di mata of US deporting Nigerians, di Foreign Minister say di deportation process begin even before di Trump administration take over. So no be new tin as na sometin wey dem don dey expect.

At least, ova 3,000 Nigerians wey no get legal documents to stay for America dey face risk of deportation, according to one document wey Fox News get from di United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE).

Fox News bin report on Tuesday 28 January, 2025 say di Nigerian immigrants don dey ICE non-detained docket wit final orders of removal since November, 2024.

Reports say Nigeria na di second highest number of citizens wey dey scheduled for deportation for Africa, followed by Somalia, Ghana, Senegal, among odas.

For im 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump bin promise to deport one million pipo wey no get legal permission to dey live for di United States.

For February, di Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, for one post on social media bin say, she meet wit di United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr, and she highlight di concern of di Nigeria goment about di decision of President Donald Trump to deport many Nigerians back to di kontri.

"As at now, na about 201 Nigerians currently dey detained for US immigration centres, and about 85 (of dem don dey) cleared for deportation. Di figure dey expected to rise sharply," Madam Ojukwu bin tok.

Tusuf Tuggar say, "we welcome di return of Nigerians wey no go dia legally. Wetin di Tinubu administration dey do na to make provisions for such returnees."

Tuggar note say Nigeria na place wey get a lot of opportunities, so e no see di return of dia citizens as a challenge or as a problem.

"All we insist on na say dem return dem with dignity, not in handcuffs, or maltreat dem." E tok.

Binance

As e concern di Binance case wey still dey go on, Oga Tuggar say di major problem dem get with Binance and oda crypto currency players and even exchanges na di fact say dem bin don start a macro economic reform wey di activities of dis Binance and oda crypto currency companies come spoil.

Nigeria bin file lawsuit seeking to compel Binance to pay $79.5bn for economic losses wey di goment say dey caused by di cryptocurrency exchange operations with $2bn in back taxes as some court documents show.

Authorities blame Binance, di world largest crypto exchange, for Nigeria currency woes, come detain two of dia executives in 2024 after crypto websites come up as platforms of choice for trading di local naira currency.

Binance say dem dey work with Nigeria Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to resolve potential historic tax liabilities.

Di Federal Inland Revenue Service allege say Binance get a "significant economic presence" in Nigeria and so diafor dem dey liable for corporate income tax.

Dem come seek a court declaration say make Binance pay income taxes for 2022 and 2023, plus a 10% annual penalty on unpaid amounts. FIRS also request a 26.75% interest rate on di unpaid taxes, based on di Central Bank of Nigeria lending rate.

Binance already bin dey face four counts of tax evasion in Nigeria after a goment crackdown on di industry. Di charges include non-payment of value-added tax, company income tax, failure to file tax returns and complicity in helping customers to evade taxes through dia platform.

Binance contest di charges and announce for March 2024 say dem dey stop all transactions and trading in di naira. Di company also face separate anti-graft agency money laundering charges, wey dem deny and accuse di Nigerian authorities of corruption.

Oga Tuggar explain say dem bin dey try to stabilise di economy but di crypto currency players come provide a way for money launderers and illicit funds to comot from di economy, wey come affect di reforms wey bin dey go on with di macroeconomic reforms, and e come affect di naira.

"Dis become a real life situation for us becos e make di difference between being able to afford insulin for diabetes, or even malaria medication or not, becos di currency continue to weaken against di dollar. Dat na why Nigeria dey firm on our position."

Oga Tuggar come add say as long as pipo and investors dey come with open hands, with a clean heart, and dey look to do ogbonge legit business, Nigeria no get any problem with you.

Sextortion

On di mata of Sextortion, Oga Tuggar say Nigeria get laws wey di National Assembly don make and dem dey implement those laws.

E say dem also get special training for those wey go enforce am and add say dem also dey look at ways to improve on di laws so e no mean say e dey static.

Remember say for September 2024, two brothers from Nigeria wey target a 17-year-old for one sextortion scam get 17 years and six months jail sentence in di US.

Di Ogoshi brothers, from Lagos, deceive Jordan DeMay for US into sending dem fotos by pretending to be a girl im age - den come use di images blackmail am.

Jordan kill imself less dan six hours after dem start to tok on Instagram.

Dis na di first successful prosecution of Nigerians for sextortion in di US, wia sextortion na a fast growing cyber-crime, often linked to Nigeria.

"We no say we get a perfect system, and no country get a perfect system. We dey make improvements." Tuggar tok ontop di mata.