By Dr Lukman Raimi
Lagos, Nov. 5, ’25 (TNZ) George Washington’s Farewell Address in 1796 cautioned Americans and their future leaders to: “observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.” This, in my opinion, should be a guiding principle for President Donald Trump.
Trump’s allegation of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria and his threat to attack the country, although baseless, reveal a troubling yet useful reality check. The good in his statement, though unsettling, is that it forces global attention on Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
From Boko Haram and ISWAP to banditry, mass kidnapping, and farmer–herder clashes, Nigerians, whether Muslims, Christians, and others alike have suffered unimaginable violence.
Trump’s provocation should therefore compel the Federal Government of Nigeria to overhaul its weak security architecture, modernise intelligence systems, and invest in grassroots peace-building and counter-radicalization programmes.
The bad is Trump’s dangerous reduction of a complex national security crisis to a simplistic religious narrative. Nigeria’s violence is not a one-faith extermination project.
It emerges from criminal opportunism, bad governance, arms proliferation, climate-induced resource competition, and local leadership failures.
Framing it solely as a Christian–Muslim clash distorts reality and risks igniting sectarian tensions. What Nigeria requires is enhanced intelligence cooperation and structured military engagement with the United States, not unilateral threats.
Any U.S. strike on Nigeria would violate international law, destabilise West Africa, embolden extremists, and ultimately backfire. Ironically, Washington frequently describes President Tinubu as a “trusted partner” and even allegedly a “CIA ally.”
If partnership is genuine, then the logic is simple: you do not sabotage the success of an ally. This is a matter that responsible diplomacy could resolve over coffee in the Oval Office, not through megaphone threats and reckless rhetoric.
The ugly is that certain opportunistic voices and fifth columnists eagerly amplified President Trump’s baseless remarks for cheap ethnic or partisan gains. They are willingly trading national dignity for political porridge.
To the celebrating saboteurs, be reminded: drones, hypersonic missiles, and bombs, if ever dropped on Nigeria, do not discriminate between Muslims and Christians, terrorists and patriots. Bombs won’t spare pastors, imams, Shaykhs, CEOs, or General Overseers.
Meanwhile, the Muslim North and its critical stakeholders must put their house in order by confronting extremist preaching, bandit networks, and governance complacency that have fertilised insecurity. Nigeria needs unity, not sectarian suspicion.
To those shouting “hurray” and “hosanna,” remember that there is a world of difference between “we have a country” and “we had a country.” National self-destruction often begins with cheering crowds who fail to see the danger until the homeland no longer exists to defend or celebrate.
The following policy prescriptions are urgent and expedient:
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Strengthen Nigeria’s Security Architecture: Modernise intelligence, improve surveillance and rapid-response capacity. The government must ensure inter-agency coordination. Community policing must be revitalised and early-warning systems strengthened.
Deepen strategic security cooperation with the United States: Nigeria needs structured counter-terror cooperation, intelligence-sharing, special-forces training, and joint strategic task forces—not confrontation or emotional diplomacy.
Rebuild and refocus Nigeria’s foreign policy machinery: The government must power the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and foreign missions to lead proactive, coordinated diplomacy, rooted in Nigeria’s sovereign interest.
Promote national unity and internal cohesion: The government must launch national reconciliation and interfaith dialogue initiatives. Northern leaders must uproot extremism; southern voices must avoid incendiary rhetoric. Unity strengthens sovereignty.
Discourage political opportunism and reward patriotism: The N̈igeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) should encourage responsible public commentary, grounded in national interest.
They must allow criticism, but reject opportunistic propaganda that invites foreign hostility while weakening national solidarity.
Nigeria’s real enemies are terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and weak governance—not each other. President Trump’s remarks should not break Nigeria; they should wake Nigeria.
Unity, reform, strategic diplomacy, and internal discipline remain the road to national strength. When Nigerians stand together, no foreign power can intimidate or divide us.
Concluding, Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 admonished all Americans: “We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
As Nigerians we we don’t hang terrorism together, terrorism and terrorists will hang us separately and individually as Muslims, Christians and Traditionalists. (TNZ)
Dr Raimi is a legal researcher, an entrepreneurship educator, and good governance advocate.
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