By Oluwasore Alabi
In the beginning of January 2026 the United States did something in Venezuela. They had a military operation. There were airstrikes in some parts of Caracas. The President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores were arrested. The United States government said they did this to make things safer. They wanted to stop people from selling drugs. They wanted to stop organised crime. The United States government also said they wanted to stop what they call narco terrorism, which they think is connected to some ranking officials in the Venezuelan government. The Venezuelan government is involved in this that is why the United States took action, against the government.
For a time things have not been good between Washington and Caracas. The United States government has said times that the Maduro government is corrupt and does not treat people fairly. They think the Maduro government cheats to win elections and is involved in the drug trade. The American government has put restrictions on some leaders and the oil business in Venezuela. They say they are doing this to make the Venezuelan government respect the rights of its people and let them have a say, in how the country’s run. The United States wants Venezuela to be a country where people are treated with respect. The Maduro government and the Venezuelan oil sector are the targets of these restrictions.
The United States did some things to Venezuela before the attack. The United States put naval and economic pressure on Venezuela. This included doing something about oil shipments that the United States said were connected to things. People who work for the United States said they had to take action because talking and using economic measures did not work to make Venezuela change the way United States wanted. The United States wanted change, in Venezuela.
The official explanation does not seem right to people. They think oil is the problem. Venezuela has a lot of oil which makes it very important for the worlds energy. Many people who study these things and political groups in Latin America and other places think that what happened in Venezuela is part of a pattern. They believe that other countries have interfered with oil nations like Venezuela saying they are doing it to keep people safe or to support democracy but oil is the real reason. Venezuela and its oil are very important, in the world of energy politics.
People have a lot of suspicions about what’s going on and that has led to many conspiracy theories, especially on social media. The Venezuelan oil situation is being compared to what happened in Iraq and Libya when the United States got involved. Some of the claims that are being made cannot be proven to be true. However the timing of the attack and the fact that people have wanted to get their hands on oil for a long time are things that make people wonder what is really going on with Venezuelan oil. The situation with oil is still raising some very serious questions, about Venezuelan oil.
Venezuela has been under the leadership of Maduro since 2013 after Hugo Chávez died. The government of Maduro works in a way that gives him a lot of power over the country and the oil industry. When it comes to elections in Venezuela under Maduro many people who oppose him and some other countries say they are not fair. They think the elections are not transparent. On the hand the people who support Maduro say that Venezuela is being treated unfairly.
The attack got a lot of people talking around the world. Countries like Russia, China, Iran, Cuba, Mexico and Colombia did not like what the United States did. They said the United States was wrong to do this because it was not respecting Venezuelas freedom. These countries also said that if the United States gets involved with its military it could cause problems in the whole area. The United Nations is really worried about what’s happening and they want everyone to calm down and follow the rules.
The United Nations and some world leaders think people should talk things out of fighting. They believe that problems with governments should be fixed by talking, not by using force like bombs. Some countries in the West are also being careful even though they do not like the way Maduro is leading his country. The United Nations wants to see a solution, to the problems.
For Nigeria what is happening in Venezuela is a concern. Nigeria is an oil producing country and lots of other countries have been involved in its oil business for a long time. The problems in Venezuela make us think about how countries with a lot of resources like oil can get caught up in fights between powerful nations. Nigeria is an oil producing country and the Venezuela situation is a reminder that Nigeria is also, at risk.
Nigeria needs to think about whether it’s a good idea to trust powerful friends without questioning them. Is it better for Nigeria to rely on itself and work with neighboring countries? This does not mean Nigeria should stop being friends with the United States. It means Nigeria should always think about what’s best for itself make its economy stronger, in many areas and make its institutions more powerful. Nigeria must remember to put its interests first when it comes to the United States and other powerful nations.
The U.S. attack on Venezuela has reopened global debates about power, resources, and sovereignty. While the United States insists its actions were about security and democracy, many around the world see deeper economic and political motives. For Nigeria and other developing nations, Venezuela’s experience is a warning. Without economic diversity, strong diplomacy, and national unity, even sovereign states can find themselves at the mercy of global interests far bigger than their own.
