By Kazembe Batts
IG: @kazbatts
The contempt for African people, leaders and nations by President Trump is once again on display. Trump has arrogantly challenged the national sovereignty of “the Giant of Africa.” Nigeria is once again a target of the Trump administration’s short-sighted and haphazard foreign policy actions. With the following alarming quote from the 46th USA president on his social media, he threatens “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. 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.”
The social media post by Trump came unexpectedly to Nigerian officials. Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, a spokesman for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an interview with Al Jazeera, denied Trump’s claims of mass killings of Christians. “We’ve continuously made our point clear that we acknowledge the fact that there are killings that have taken place in Nigeria, but those killings were not restricted to Christians alone.
Muslims are being killed. Traditional worshippers are being killed… The majority is not the Christian population… Nigeria was ready to work with its partners to fight this scourge of terrorism, but not any passive action that will undermine the sovereignty of our country.” Nonetheless Nigeria has struggled to curtail violence and massacres across the country, both from international terrorist groups like Boko Haram and disputes between farmers and herders.
Once again, like it did during his first term, the Trump administration added Nigeria to the “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations that Washington says have violated religious freedoms after Biden had removed Nigeria during his presidency. Other nations on that list include China, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan and Russia. Spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, stated “The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion… like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”
American state department and diplomatic officers may not know this, but the irony and ridiculousness of the Nigerian government being accused of complicity in a Christian genocide is that Nigeria’s President Bola AhmedTinubu, a Muslim from southern Nigeria, is married to Christian pastor Oluremi Tinubu. “Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so, Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths” explained Tinubu in his own social media post.
When making key government and military appointments, Tinubu, like his predecessors, seeks to balance Muslims and Christians, so that each community is represented. Last week, Tinubu changed the country’s military leadership and appointed a Christian as the new defense chief. Nigeria’s population of 220 million is split between Christian and Muslim populations.
Nigeria has both the largest population and economy in Africa. If Nigeria’s territorial integrity can be wantonly disregarded by unproven allegations of genocide, causing the American military machine to invade, then what does that mean for the sovereignty of other African nations? How will African nations and African people worldwide respond if unprovoked war is waged upon them. Yes, there is murder of all types of people in Nigeria but there is no genocide against Christians.
Responses and comments from African American leaders have been muted. Gone are the days of Marcus Garvey, Paul Robeson, Malcolm X or Elombe Brath. These leaders would offer an international perspective on African issues and then organize to make the American political establishment recognize legitimate African concerns and issues.
The contempt for all things African from the Trump administration has no bounds.
Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka said on Tuesday that his non-resident visa to enter the United States had been rejected, adding that he believes it may be because he recently criticized President Donald Trump. The movement for African life and dignity continues.