Senator Ali Ndume has urged the federal government to mobilise Nigeria’s most experienced statesmen and diplomats to defend the country’s reputation in Washington after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
In a blunt appeal, Ndume named Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Babagana Kingibe, Professor Ibrahim Gambari and Amina Mohammed as the kind of figures who should be sent to explain the facts on the ground and blunt what he called a damaging narrative. He warned that the government must act before the situation “gets out of hand” and pressed for direct engagement with the U.S. embassy in Abuja.
Ndume’s call comes after Mr. Trump used his Truth Social account to accuse Nigeria of tolerating mass killings of Christians and to add the country to a U.S. watch list for religious freedom violations. The designation has prompted sharp rebuttals from the Tinubu administration, which insists Nigeria is a democracy that guarantees freedom of religion and rejects claims of systematic persecution.
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Reactions inside Nigeria have ranged from calls for calm to warnings of diplomatic fallout. Analysts say the dispute risks complicating counterterrorism cooperation, aid flows and Nigeria’s standing in international forums. The federal government faces a narrow window to rebut specific allegations, present credible data on security operations, and re-engage partners to prevent long term damage to bilateral ties.
For now, Ndume’s appeal frames the response as one of statesmanship rather than confrontation. He is asking that trusted, experienced envoys use established channels at the United Nations and in Washington to tell Nigeria’s side of the story and to press for constructive engagement rather than public censure.
