The Concourse
By Soney Antai
Trump’s tweets and twisted tongues
Saturday, 1st November, began as a day when the unusual of monumental proportion wasn’t likely. We in our beloved country went about our businesses, just as others may have done same in their now disgraced country. If anything occupied the minds of the masses, it was apparently how they could survive another day with all the problems of Tinubunomics. But if anything troubled the political class, it was how to retain or grab power in 2027. Similarly, if anything troubled the victims of terror in Nigeria, more so those who escaped death by the skins of their teeth, it was probably finding a shelter over their heads as their power elites had largely abandoned them to vile criminals ravaging their communities. And then it happened: Breaking News! Trump warns, threatens to swoop down on Nigeria, “guns-a-blazing”, if ….
That Saturday, the President of the United States of America (POTUS), Mr Donald Trump, said that he had ordered the Pentagon to commence preparation for a likely military action in Nigeria over what he called the persecution of Christians.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump posted on social media. He went on, “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”
The POTUS’ warning of possible military action followed Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu’s earlier reaction same Saturday, to Trump’s previous day’s announcement that he was designating Nigeria “a country of particular concern” for allegedly failing to stop the persecution of Christians. POTUS had added, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria” and “radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.” (A country of “particular concern” in the US’ foreign relations’ lingo, is one where religious freedom is strictly restricted.
In a social media response that Saturday, Tinubu had argued that characterising Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country was untrue abd unkind. Said he, “Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu said. He added, “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”
Ever since the exchanges broke out, there have been various reactions from Nigerians as citizens, or as government officials. Our news review of the reactions throw up the following: Folks like the Information and Aviation Ministers, the Chief of Defence Staff, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (POTFRON), former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Ishaq Akintola of MURIC, last Saturday’s protesters in Kano, among others, have responded to the Trump threat. Their line of argument has been somewhat linear: There are indeed killings, but they are faith-blind.
On the other fingers are: (a) those who tell the US to steer clear of Nigeria’s internal affairs, and thereby wielding the sovereignty flag. Among those here are ex-militant warlord, Asari Dokubo and ex-Aviation Minister, Femi Fani Kayode. China also falls into this categorisation; (b) those who take the religious rocky route: Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP); Plateau State cleric Ezekiel Dachomo, and Ahmad Gumi; (c) those who call for diplomatic engagement with the US. Pastor Enoch Adeboye belongs here; (d) those who are more interested in protecting the administration of POTFRON. Here are folks like Lagos State Governor Sanwo-Olu, and street protesters in Lagos; and (e) those who welcome Trump’s threat and pray it should materialise quickly. Here we have victims of the killings, who have lost faith in the Nigerian state; and (e) those who say that there is indeed a Christian genocide by Islamists against Christians that has been going on for decades. Human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi belongs here.
The categories are not mutually exclusive. There may be other strands of reactions not captured here. But in the next part, we will concentrate on these ones by deconstructing their perspectives vis-a-vis the issues at stake.
- (To be cont’d)