Nigeria is caught in the crosshairs of Donald Trump’s latest tariff offensive, as the US President unleashes a fresh round of import duties on 60 trading partners—with rates ranging from 10% to a punchy 12.5%.
The affected nations account for a staggering 99.4% of all US imports. Washington’s justification? These countries aren’t doing enough to stop goods made with forced labour from crossing their borders.
The new levies kick in just as Trump’s earlier 10% global tariff from February expires. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed the move took effect Thursday, calling it a double-barrelled attack on “human rights abuse and distortive trade practices.”
“Today’s action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere,” Greer said in a blistering statement.
The tariff hits all Nigerian goods—except raw materials deemed critical to US supply chains, products that could cripple domestic industries, or items the US can’t grow or make enough of on its own.
This is the latest salvo in Trump’s rerun global trade war. In April, he slapped 14% on Nigeria. By August, that jumped to 15% for Nigeria and other African nations.
Now, the world is firing back.
· Canada, hit with fresh taxes just Monday, is fuming.
· Australia and Brazil called the tariffs unjustified and vowed to fight them.
· Norway said there’s “no basis” for the move.
· The EU called Washington’s logic nonsensical.
· China dismissed it as “political manipulation.”
Nigeria now stands at the centre of a storm that’s only getting hotter.
