Nigeria · GEOPOLITICS
Key Facts
—First working group session: The U.S.-Nigeria Joint Working Group met in Abuja on 22 January 2026 to address the Country of Particular Concern designation. Nigeria’s delegation was led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, the American side by Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker.
—CPC redesignation: President Donald Trump announced Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern again on 31 October 2025.
—First CPC label: The State Department, under Secretary Mike Pompeo, designated Nigeria a CPC on 2 December 2020 and granted a national-interest waiver, so no sanction followed. Nigeria was dropped when Secretary Antony Blinken announced the next round on 17 November 2021.
