The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat to invade Nigeria under the guise of “fighting terrorists” was a ploy to disguise his displeasure with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s independent foreign and economic policies.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Afenifere described Trump’s allegation that the Nigerian government was complicit in the killing of Christians as baseless and a deliberate attempt to “give a dog a bad name to justify killing it.”
The group argued that Trump’s position was driven largely by economic and political motives, including the U.S. desire to maintain dominance over Nigeria’s policy direction, especially amid Tinubu’s growing ties with China and his administration’s refusal to bow to Washington’s pressure on deportation issues and oil trade.
Afenifere said Trump’s harsh rhetoric was meant to force Tinubu into negotiations that would favour U.S. economic interests, particularly in the arms and energy sectors, adding that “America does not like Nigeria’s growing assertion of sovereignty.”
DON'T MISS
It cited Nigeria’s 15% tariff on oil imports from the U.S., Vice President Kashim Shettima’s support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict at the UN, and the country’s refusal to accept deportees from America as some of the actions that “did not go down well” with Washington.
The organisation dismissed the genocide claims, noting that terrorist attacks in Nigeria are indiscriminate, targeting both Muslims and Christians for economic reasons rather than religious ideology. It blamed international interests for funding unrest in resource-rich regions to enable illegal exploitation.
Afenifere urged Nigerians not to play into the hands of foreign powers seeking to destabilize the country, warning that “none of the nations where America has intervened militarily has known peace.”
Ajayi concluded: “Trump can use any excuse to induce or escalate tension. Nigerians must be careful not to provide justification for external aggression. When we cry, we should open our eyes to see what lies ahead.”
Please follow and like us:
