If you ever dared to disregard the United States, you were bound to pay for it. That has always been the mindset of the American establishment. After September 11, George W. Bush declared, “You’re either with us or against us,” creating a false dilemma that forced nations to choose between submission and hostility – a costly bind for many.
When Nigeria rejected the idea of hosting a U.S. military base and reaffirmed its policy against foreign troops, Washington’s strategic reach in West Africa took a hit. The irritation grew when Nigeria courted BRICS nations and welcomed multibillion-dollar Chinese investments in infrastructure, energy, and defence. The tension between the U.S. and China is no secret, and Nigeria’s deepening ties with Beijing unsettled Washington further.
Then came Nigeria’s refusal to accept deported prisoners and Venezuelan nationals relocated from U.S. custody.
The same person who recently placed a $50m bounty on president Nicolás Maduro Moros of Venezuela, because they want their oil badly, and is considering a forced regime change.
That diplomatic snub sealed the perception of defiance. It is no surprise, therefore, that Washington now seeks renewed relevance in Abuja, hiding behind the rhetoric of “defending oppressed Nigerian Christians.”
Nigeria cannot afford the favours America demands, nor can it survive the weight of U.S. anger. President Tinubu is in a tight corner –isolated partly by his own doing. Two years in office without appointing ambassadors is inexplicable. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a few special envoys are no substitute for proper diplomatic representation. How can a country of Nigeria’s stature remain without an ambassador to Washington for this long?
Still, American intervention is not the answer. Have we seen any country where U.S. military involvement restored peace and stability? At the height of the Boko Haram crisis, the same America refused to supply President Goodluck Jonathan with arms to fight terrorists.
Donald Trump’s recent posturing fits a familiar script. He is blind to the massacre of Muslims in Gaza by Israel, blind to the slaughter of Muslims in Nigeria by terrorists, and blind to the killings of Christians in South Sudan. He sees only the deaths that fit his narrative. His message is not borne of compassion but of convenience – a cynical attempt to frame Nigeria’s complex violence as a Christian-versus-Muslim conflict.
That is not our reality. Bandits killing people in Nigeria’s Northwest are not fighting religious wars. Their motives are power and control, not conversion. The same terror afflicts Niger, Plateau, Benue, Kwara, and even the South East. Reducing this tragedy to sectarian lines is both disingenuous, dishonest and dangerous.
Those cheering Trump’s rhetoric on social media and conflict entrepreneurs may not realise the peril. Anyone truly concerned about Nigeria would not resort to crude mischaracterisations as a pretext for heavy-handed intervention. America’s track record is clear: it spent over two trillion dollars in Afghanistan, failed to build a stable democracy, and fled in haste, abandoning weapons to the Taliban.
In Syria, it bombed and funded proxies, only to leave the region fractured and extremist groups emboldened.
Five years ago, U.S. forces were protecting the oil infrastructure in Eastern Syria, preventing the Syrian government from getting access to it. They left the rest of the country to be overrun by rebels with Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda commander now sitting as President.
There is no single instance where U.S. intervention left peace in its wake –only rubble, resentment, and chaos. Bullets do not distinguish between Muslims and Christians, between Southerners and Northerners, it just rains red.
None of this excuses our government’s failures. The Nigerian authorities have mishandled security and must urgently craft a coherent strategy against terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping. No one is coming to save us…not Christians, Muslims, traditionalists, or agnostics.
So congratulations to Donald Trump and those celebrating Nigeria’s new “designation.” Having tired of his “white genocide in South Africa” obsession, Trump has turned his gaze toward us. Those rejoicing have no idea of the catastrophe they invite. This could make our current crisis look like child’s play.
The real trauma will come when people escaping the shelling in the North, run to major cities in the South. You will not be able to tell traders from terrorists or farmers from robbers. Yet you will be forced to live with them.
That is how Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan descended into ruin –through infiltration and manipulation disguised as salvation, after relying on falsehoods, propaganda and disinformation. Nigeria must not walk that path. If anything, this moment should jolt our leaders to act decisively: expose the sponsors of terror, strengthen our defences, and rebuild national trust. Only then can we confront our demons without handing our sovereignty to foreign hands.
– Shittu Fowora
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