Tinubu must keep off Trump, by Ochereome Nnanna,
When US President, Donald J Trump, released a barrage of scorching, uncomplimentary posts on his social media handles about Nigeria over the weekend, his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu, nearly fell into a trap. There were calls from some quarters that he should “engage” Trump, rather than let loose his propaganda officials. We started hearing that he would be in the White House in Washington as early as yesterday, Tuesday November 4, 2025, to explain “the true situation” in Nigeria concerning the Christian genocides saga.
Later, we were told that Tinubu had called off his proposed Washington trip. He would now meet Trump at the G20 Johannesburg Summit on November 22-23, 2025. The last we heard was that the meeting would no longer take place. Whoever persuaded Tinubu to stay away from a direct encounter with Trump truly loves him. The US leader is not a conventional politician. I see him as more of an American conservative patriot, businessman and showman than politician.
Obviously, Trump has no regard for today’s Nigeria and the type of people leading it. When he has no regard for you, he lets you – and the world out there – know, when you come visiting. Remember the last time that Nigeria’s most incompetent leader, the late Muhammadu Buhari, visited him in Washington in August 2018. The main issue was “Christian genocide” in Nigeria which Buhari debunked as mere “communal clashes” between farmers and herdsmen due to climate change. Trump was later quoted as saying: “I never want to meet such a lifeless person again”. So, you see, this Christian genocide matter is not something that Trump is just hearing for the first time.
We remember how Trump and his Vice President, JD Vance, practically threw Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, out of the Oval Office in February this year after an explosive on-camera exchange over the Ukrainian conflict with Russia. Yet again, in May this year, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, who had been involved in several anti-America rants and alliances, was embarrassed on camera when he went to cut trade deals. He and his team were thoroughly grilled by Trump over the mass murders of white landowners by suspected anti-white extremists, apparently with Ramaphosa feigning ignorance.
The words that Trump has used to depict what he thinks of Nigeria are forewarnings of what he might say if Tinubu makes the mistake of showing up at the Oval Office. In his first tenure (2017-2021), he called Nigeria a “shithole country” over the “japa” syndrome, whereby youths that should stay home and build their country are forced by hardship to emigrate to greener pastures. This time, Trump called Nigeria “that disgraced country”, once again, because of Christian genocide. This issue is there for all to see, with Fulani Islamist militants as the perpetrators, in the Christian Middle Belt areas. Yet the Federal Government, along with some myopic or compromised Nigerians, claim it does not exist.
President Trump had sent Massad Boulos, a Nigerian-American businessman to Abuja to engage the government on this issue a fortnight ago. Boulos came out to announce that there was no Christian genocide in Nigeria. It is now obvious that Trump did not believe this tomfoolery from Boulos, who happens to be related to his family by marriage. Many independent American investigators, including a former US Mayor, Mike Arnold, have confirmed the reality of these atrocities. The viral video of Rev Ezekiel Dachomo from the depths of a mass grave calling out to Trump to save his members from the jihadist herdsmen, shook the internet. Trump threatened to invade Nigeria and go after the Islamists himself unless Tinubu wakes up and does his constitutionally-mandated duty.
In truth, I do not believe Trump will take military action against Nigeria just like that. That designation as a “country of concern” is a powerful weapon raised against the Nigerian leadership. Trump has what it takes to squeeze them until they beg for mercy. He can cripple them financially, deny them entry into the US and target their families. He can expose the terror sponsors. If it becomes necessary, Trump could push for regime change. This was what Barack Obama did to former President Goodluck Jonathan, with Tinubu and Buhari as the instigators. This is the nightmare that Tinubu and the ruling elite will want to avoid.
But if the Federal Government allows the various Islamist terrorist coalitions to succeed in making Nigeria their global playground, America will definitely act decisively in its global interest. They are driven by ISIS, Al Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood, and Fulani caliphate irredentism; armed by Turkey and Iran and bankrolled by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Muslim “charities”. Trump has a track record here. In 2019, he launched “Operation Kayla Meuller” against the ISIS led by Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi operating in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. He wiped out ISIS (at least then) and eliminated Al Baghdadi.
I warn that should America carry out any measure of military action in Nigeria, this country will never survive it. There will be wars all over. America may not stay and finish what it started because it is constantly being distracted by other issues of national interest around the world. Besides, Trump only has a little over three years more in office. The next leadership may not be interested in “saving Christians from Muslim genocide”. You can imagine what will happen to our 230 million population when the beehive is scattered. Sudan will be a child’s play. Those who brought in armed Islamist gangs into Nigeria to win power by all means will run away.
Tinubu should accept any measure of American assistance and end the killings in Nigeria. He has no choice. He must save Nigeria or we all go in for it together.
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When US President, Donald J Trump, released a barrage of scorching, uncomplimentary posts on his social media handles about Nigeria over the weekend, his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu, nearly fell into a trap. There were calls from some quarters that he should “engage” Trump, rather than let loose his propaganda officials. We started hearing that he […]
The post Tinubu must keep off Trump, by Ochereome Nnanna appeared first on Vanguard News.
, , Emmanuel Okogba, {authorlink},, , Vanguard News, November 5, 2025, 2:35 am
