The U.S. Mission added that the robust trade relationship between Nigeria and the United States continues to generate economic benefits on both sides of the Atlantic.
1
Nigeria emerged as the leading African exporter of crude oil to the United States between January and August 2025, shipping 33.23 million barrels valued at $2.57 billion, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria has disclosed.
The U.S. Mission revealed this in a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, @USinNigeria, on Tuesday.
According to the U.S. Mission, Nigeria’s crude shipments during the period accounted for more than half of all African crude oil exports to the United States, underscoring the country’s dominant position among African oil suppliers to the American market.
Highlighting the broader impact of the trade relationship, the U.S. Mission noted that the volume of crude oil exports reflects the strength of economic ties between both countries.
“#DidYouKnow that Nigeria was the leading African exporter of crude oil to the United States between January and August 2025, shipping 33.23 million barrels worth $2.57 billion? That’s more than half of all African crude oil exports to the United States during that period,” the Mission stated.
The U.S. Mission added that the robust trade relationship between Nigeria and the United States continues to generate economic benefits on both sides of the Atlantic.
“Our strong trade ties create jobs and drive prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic,” the statement said.
Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest oil producer and has remained a key crude oil supplier to global markets, despite fluctuations in output caused by oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and production challenges in recent years.
In late 2025, the diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and the United States underwent a series of high-stakes shifts, moving from threats of military intervention and visa bans to a tentative resolution by year’s end.
The 2025 Visa Bans and Restrictions
The friction began in earnest during the second half of 2025, centred on immigration integrity and security.
On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.” This order, effective January 1, 2026, expanded a previous travel ban to a total of 39 countries.
Nigeria was placed on a list of 15 countries facing partial entry restrictions. Specifically, the U.S. halted the issuance of new F (student), M (vocational), and J (exchange) visas.
The administration justified the ban by citing high visa-overstay rates. The proclamation alleged that more than 1 in 10 Nigerian citizens on student or exchange visas overstayed their authorised period, which the U.S. characterised as a “disregard for immigration laws.”
This followed an earlier “spat” in July 2025, when the U.S. briefly reduced the validity of non-immigrant visas for Nigerians to just three months, citing a lack of reciprocity from the Nigerian government regarding visa fees and durations for Americans.
“Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) Designation
On October 31, 2025, President Donald Trump’s administration officially redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. This label is reserved for nations that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom.
The designation was largely driven by reports, cited frequently by the President on social media, of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. The administration highlighted data suggesting thousands of Christians had been killed by extremist groups and militias in 2025 alone.
In a dramatic escalation, the President warned that the U.S. would cut all aid and potentially use military force, remarking that the U.S. might descend “guns-a-blazing”, if the killings did not stop.
By November, reports emerged that the U.S. was conducting intelligence-gathering surveillance flights over Nigerian territory.
The Nigerian government, led by President Bola Tinubu, initially reacted with sharp rejection, calling the “genocide” narrative an oversimplification of complex security challenges involving banditry and resource competition.
On December 22, 2025, Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, announced that the “diplomatic spat” had been resolved through “firm but respectful engagement.”
To signal a return to partnership, the two nations signed a $5.1 billion bilateral health cooperation agreement, the largest of its kind under the “America First Global Health Strategy.”
While the CPC status remains a point of contention, recent U.S. congressional delegations have ruled out troop deployments, shifting the focus toward a “strategic security framework” to help Nigeria professionalise its military and fight terrorism without direct U.S. combat intervention.
Be the first to comment