“Nigeria is a nation of remarkable complexity; multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural and home to over 230 million people. Nation-building in such a diverse landscape demands context, balance, and a willingness to engage issues with nuance rather than sensationalism…Nigeria cannot be understood or judged through simplistic or one-dimensional lenses. Our internal dynamics require thoughtful interpretation, grounded in facts, history, and constitutional reality”, Tuggar pointed out.
“The articulation of a coherent foreign policy is not ‘dogon turanci’ or luxury; rather, it is an external projection of our values as a nation, promotion of the national interests and our worldview.” – Professor Ibrahim Gambari
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What a week! I was on the TF panel discussion on Sunday on ‘Trump and Nigeria’, moderated by the distinguished historian and Professor of Humanities, Toyin Falola. Of all that was discussed, one comment stood out not just for its poignancy, but as a pointer to the mindset of those in the leadership of Nigeria’s neighbours in the Sahel. It was from a high-ranking Malian official mocking Nigeria on its designation as a Country of Particular Concern by the US and the follow-up threat by President Trump.
To these Malians, Nigeria’s principled insistence on the sanctity of the ECOWAS protocol on democracy is such a sore point that they would rather have Nigeria go down, even if that would come with negative implications for the region. It was an instant reminder of the point that has been repeatedly made by Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, that the security crisis in Nigeria is a product of what he referred to in his January article as “an interlocking suite of occurrences” linked to the implosion of Libya, failure of the EU Sahel Strategy, effects of climate change, among others, which have served as a fillip for terrorism and criminal gangs to thrive as much as it has in the last 15 years in the region.
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In what appears to be an uncanny coincidence, the week that started on a pregnant note has delivered multiple fruits that make one wonder if what we are dealing with is truly a coincidence or something more sinister than initially thought. On the domestic front, it has been a horrible week – the abduction of over 20 pupils from their school in Kebbi on Monday, the attack on worshippers and abduction of some church members in Kwara State on Wednesday, and another mass abduction of students and teachers from a school in Niger State on Friday – that has prompted questions about what could be going on in Nigeria since the declaration by President Trump.
Such was the overwhelming sense of loss and grief that President Tinubu had to rightly pull back, at the last minute, on plans to attend the 20th G20 Summit in South Africa and the 7th AU-EU Summit in Angola
On the international front, events appeared to be carefully orchestrated for this week. On Tuesday, Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, the Trinidadian Rapper popularly known as Nicki Minaj, spoke at an event organised by the US ambassador to the UN in New York on the situation, alleging that: “Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart… simply because of how they pray” in Nigeria, which she also described as “a beautiful nation with deep faith traditions.” On the same day, Piers Morgan released the episode of his programme, “Uncensored,” which featured Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar; former Canadian MP and host of ‘The Goldie Show,’ Goldie Ghamari; and Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo. Attention would then shift on Thursday to the US Congress for the hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa on President Trump’s re-designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern—CPC”.
US Congressmen were obviously split, with Chairman Smith leading those insistent on the framing of the crisis as one of ‘Christian genocide,’ and those like Representative Sara Jacobs, who cautioned against an oversimplification of the issue, as that might turn a complex security crisis into a religious conflict that might exacerbate the situation.
In a way, the debate at the US Congressional Hearing bore a resemblance to that on the Piers Morgan Show, which pitched Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, against the former Canadian MP, Goldie Ghamari, and Piers Morgan himself. While some have argued that Minister Tuggar ought not to have ventured into a predictably unfriendly territory, knowing the risks involved, he argues that “the work of diplomacy includes correcting misconceptions, providing clarity where narratives are distorted, and ensuring that global audiences appreciate the full picture of who we are and the values we uphold.”
While Representative Bill Huizenga, who was a co-sponsor of the resolution backing the re-designation of Nigeria as a CPC, accused the Nigerian government of inaction, with Rep Riley Moore, who reported that he had earlier met the Nigerian delegation, insisted on his position, even likening the situation to that of Rwanda before the genocide, Rep Pramila Jayapal spoke forcefully against the argument by the other lawmakers. To Rep Sara Jacobs, “There is very real conflict and violence that we need to address… The violence impacting both Christian and Muslim communities is real.”
In a way, the debate at the US Congressional Hearing bore a resemblance to that on the Piers Morgan Show, which pitched Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, against the former Canadian MP, Goldie Ghamari, and Piers Morgan himself. While some have argued that Minister Tuggar ought not to have ventured into a predictably unfriendly territory, knowing the risks involved, he argues that “the work of diplomacy includes correcting misconceptions, providing clarity where narratives are distorted, and ensuring that global audiences appreciate the full picture of who we are and the values we uphold.”
Given Tuggar’s vast experience in the field and his knowledge of the nuances and intrigues of foreign relations, his appearance on the show might not be just for its massive audience and the metrics, but as part of a strategic plan of action to mitigate the crisis and push back the false narrative pertaining to Nigeria that has been aggressively pushed through unconventional diplomatic channels in the past few weeks. The objective was apparently to counter the one-dimensional single story that refuses to acknowledge the complexity of Nigeria and its security challenges. Tuggar argued that, “Nigeria’s truth must not be distorted to fit external biases,” and insisted that the country understands the playbook of those who have been pushing this false narrative, in a manner comparable to the situations leading to the unraveling of Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Sudan, while equally standing his ground that Nigeria will never be the next Sudan.
“Nigeria is a nation of remarkable complexity; multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural and home to over 230 million people. Nation-building in such a diverse landscape demands context, balance, and a willingness to engage issues with nuance rather than sensationalism…Nigeria cannot be understood or judged through simplistic or one-dimensional lenses. Our internal dynamics require thoughtful interpretation, grounded in facts, history, and constitutional reality”, Tuggar pointed out.
While some tried to reduce the debate to numbers, which have long been disputed, the overriding argument ought to be that every life matters, and should matter, irrespective of creed or religion. There are arguments that some of the figures out there are either exaggerated or understated to achieve predetermined objectives. However, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a global conflict-tracking organisation, which many media organisations cite, states that from the data over the last five years, only five per cent of the incidents can be classified as explicitly religiously motivated.
Some of the contributions at the Congressional hearing indicate that Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs engagement through official and back channels, as well as through the media, might have begun to shape the narrative, dispelling blatant falsehoods about Islamists hijacking or infiltrating the Nigerian government, reinforcing the argument that engagement with the right people will help to clear up the misunderstanding and bring clarity to the issues.
HumAngle submits that its years of reporting, including fact-checks, investigations, and data analysis, consistently demonstrate that it “cannot neatly box Nigeria’s insecurity as a religious war,” submitting that “communal/ethnic friction, often related to land disputes or banditry, is a far more pervasive factor in explicit targeting than sectarian religious identity.” Yet, just like most people, there is no disputing the existence of the persecution of Christians. The argument made by US Rep Pramila Jayapal, among others, is this: “The killings in Nigeria aren’t just the persecution of Christians. It is the persecution of multiple groups. We should be careful not to portray it as just persecution of Christians. That feels to me simplistic, and it doesn’t account for the intersection of diversity of Nigeria.”
Some of the contributions at the Congressional hearing indicate that Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs engagement through official and back channels, as well as through the media, might have begun to shape the narrative, dispelling blatant falsehoods about Islamists hijacking or infiltrating the Nigerian government, reinforcing the argument that engagement with the right people will help to clear up the misunderstanding and bring clarity to the issues.
There have been warnings against military action from some in Congress and Oge Onubogu, senior fellow and director, Africa Program, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She says that it could endanger Christians it aims to protect. “If the Trump administration proceeds with unilateral military action in Nigeria, it could endanger the Christians it aims to protect and worsen divisions along religious lines…A narrow narrative that reduces Nigeria’s security situation to a single story and frames it solely as the persecution of Christians oversimplifies the situation.” Even Nicki Minaj says that her call for the protection of Christians in Nigeria was “not about taking sides or dividing people… but about uniting humanity in Nigeria.”
Congressman Jonathan Jackson was more direct: “I wholeheartedly denounce the deployment of American troops to Nigeria. I call it a dangerous overreach that risks reigniting colonial imperialist intervention on African soil. We cannot allow the sudden interest in Nigeria’s internal political affairs to be a pretext for military action, when the same impulse was absent in the Sudan or DRC… You don’t stabilise Africa with missiles. You stabilise it with schools, clean water, economic opportunities and true partnership. The path to peace in Nigeria must come through dialogue, development and dignity. America should be a partner in healing, not a hammer looking for a nail.”
The point about partnership and the need for cooperation has been repeatedly hammered. It appears to be finally sinking in, as even some of the Congressmen who leaned more on the other side of the narrative spoke to the possibilities that can come from confidence-building measures.
Simbo Olorunfemi is a specialist on Nigeria’s foreign policy, a communications consultant, and managing editor of Africa Enterprise. Email: [email protected]
