Former Vice President Atiku Abubkar and Labour Party chieftain, Peter Obi, have maintained silence while Kano State ex-Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has urged the United States to assist Nigeria in fighting insecurity rather than issuing threats of launching an attack on the West African nation.
On Friday, the US redesignated Nigeria as a country of particular concern after President Donald Trump expressed concern that Christianity faces an existential threat in the country, with a lot of Christians being killed.
The redesignation came after a wave of campaign by American and European far right politicians and commentators that claimed that there was Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Trump said that he is focused on changing the situation in Nigeria. “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN” — But that is the least of it,” Trump said.
Trump took it a notch higher on Saturday, threatening to send the military into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” if Africa’s most populous country does not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by Islamists.
In an explosive post, the Republican leader — who had campaigned unsuccessfully for the Nobel Peace Prize — said on social media he asked the Pentagon to map out a possible plan of attack, one day after warning that Christianity was “facing an existential threat in Nigeria” which is embroiled in numerous conflicts that experts say have killed both Christians and Muslims without distinction.
“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 said.
“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,” he added, warning the Nigerian government that they “BETTER MOVE FAST!”
Atiku, Obi’s deafening silence
Atiku and Obi, both known to always react swiftly to issues affecting Nigeria have, however, remained silent while Kwankwaso reacted on Sunday, saying: “I have noted with increasing concern the heightened pronouncements on Nigeria by President Donald Trump. This follows 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.
“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.”
Writing further on X, Kwankwaso called on the Nigerian government to also consider appointing special envoys from its distinguished diplomats to engage the American government.
Additionally, he said it is necessary for the Federal Government to appoint permanent ambassadors to represent Nigeria’s interests on the international stage.
The former governor also called for unity among Nigerians, saying: “To my fellow countrymen, this is an important moment where we should emphasise unity of belonging over division.”
