The 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has condemned recent remarks by United States President Donald Trump, who described Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” and threatened possible military action.
Key Highlights:
- Kwankwaso warns that Nigeria’s security crisis should not be politicised or linked to religion.
- Calls on Washington to support Nigeria with technology and intelligence, not threats.
- Urges Tinubu’s administration to appoint special envoys and ambassadors to strengthen diplomatic ties.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday, Kwankwaso said Nigeria remains a sovereign nation facing complex security challenges that cut across religion, ethnicity, and politics.
“I have noted with increasing concern the heightened pronouncements on Nigeria by President Donald Trump following his designation of Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern.’ It is important to emphasise that our country is a sovereign nation whose people face different threats from outlaws across the country. The insecurity we face does not distinguish based on religious, ethnic, or political beliefs,” he wrote.
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Kwankwaso stressed that the United States should work with Nigeria to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts rather than issue military threats that could deepen internal divisions.
“The United States should assist the Nigerian authorities with better, cutting-edge technology to tackle these problems, rather than posing a threat that could further polarise our country,” he added.
The former Kano State governor urged the Nigerian government to improve its diplomatic engagement with Washington, including appointing special envoys and permanent ambassadors to project Nigeria’s interests more effectively abroad.
“To my fellow countrymen, this is an important moment where we should emphasise unity of belonging over division,” Kwankwaso said.
Trump’s controversial post, shared on his Truth Social account on Saturday, accused Nigeria’s government of failing to protect Christians and ordered the U.S. Department of War to prepare for “possible action.”
“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,” Trump wrote.
His statement came less than 24 hours after declaring Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” claiming that Christians were facing an “existential threat” from radical groups.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu dismissed Trump’s classification as “baseless” and “inaccurate,” arguing that Nigeria remains committed to religious freedom and national unity.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” Tinubu stated on his X page.
Both Kwankwaso and Tinubu’s responses underline Nigeria’s growing unease over Trump’s comments, which have stirred strong reactions across political and diplomatic circles.
