I’m not a fan of President Donald Trump. I was in fact one of the non-American sympathizers who wished that Hillary Clinton triumphed in the last U.S. presidential elections.
But I have been enjoying the business-like approach that Trump has introduced to governance since he mounted the saddle as America’s 45th president on January 20.
Some of my friends who grew up knowing only lethargic governance are worried that the U.S. might not last 100 days under Trump. Even millions of Americans are troubled, as Mr. Trump appeared to be breaking rules and traditions that the U.S. is associated with. An immigrant country whose borders should be thrown to all; a country that should take anything even at the detriment of her citizens. But Trump has left no one in doubt that his ‘America First’ slogan is not an empty slogan. He told concerned Americans he is only fulfilling the promises for which they elected him.
And what has he done? President Trump has issued executive orders stopping seven countries in the Middle East and Africa whose citizens engage in terrorism from gaining entry into the U.S for 90 days. He also banned refugees’ entry into the U.S. for 120 days. Do you blame him? Now Trump is President. Those with inclination to terrorize fellow beings may want to seize the opportunity of changeover of government in the U.S to launch attacks. If anything untoward happens now, Obama is no longer to blame. It’s Trump. Ask the Germans and French what terrorists did to pay back for their magnanimity in welcoming refugees to their lands. Should Trump then allow same to happen to Americans?
President Trump has also been stopping deals unfavourable to the U.S. while condemning his country’s commitment of huge funds to causes abroad from which little is got in return. That’s a businessman’s thinking. I also like Trump’s subtle threat and blackmail to multinational companies that set up factories providing jobs for others and shipping products into the U.S. For him, it’s either they build factories and provide jobs for Americans or they pay heavy duties on their products coming into the U.S.
Governance is about security and wellbeing of the citizens of a country. The interest of the country and the citizens should outweigh any other considerations. That is President Trump’s resonating action.
Can I confidently say that governance in our own geographical space is about the people’s interest? Is our governance about nationalism?
Officially, Africa is the focus of Nigeria’s foreign policy. The idea is that by promoting the interest of other African nations like a kind of big brother, Nigeria is also promoting her own interests. But how effective is this thinking? Nigeria can take credit for her active roles in the independence struggle of Angola, Namibia and Mozambique. Nigeria got deeply involved in anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa. We contributed huge funds and souls to quell civil strife in Liberia and Sierra Leone. We also recently mobilized troops to chase recalcitrant Yahya Jammeh out of The Gambia; who initially refused to vacate office for his elected successor but allowed good sense to prevail at the last minute.
Nigeria is the giant of Africa, a father who is famous abroad, but whose children are suffering at home.
A few examples will suffice. In 2009, Nigeria ceded Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon after losing a case involving both countries on the matter at the International Court of Justice. Nigerians in Bakassi who did not want to stay put in the ceded territory and become Cameroonians returned home in thousands. They have been living in temporary camps since then. The attitude of successive governments at the federal level to the returnees is appalling.
In this case, the interest of Cameroon and the international community’s perception of Nigeria as a good, peace-loving nation matters more. The Boko Haram war has been raging since 2009 and particularly from last year, the Nigerian military has gained the upper hand and one would wonder why the remnants of the insurgents are still fighting a lost battle. But the truth is that more than half of Boko Haram terrorists are foreigners from Cameroon and Chad. If Trump were to be President of Nigeria and with ‘Nigeria First’ as his focus, by now our borders with both countries would have been permanently closed and he would be talking about erecting a border fence, which the countries would pay for. For him, the citizens must be safe. And for me, with very porous borders and a Boko Haram army populated by foreigners, it may just amount to wishful thinking that the Boko Haram insurgency would end soon.
And as if the Boko Haram trouble is not enough, we now have murderous Fulani herdsmen who officials have confirmed to be foreigners moving in and out of all geographical zones of Nigeria, killing and maiming farmers and anyone who challenges their ravaging of farms.
We are also contending with bandits, suspected to be foreign Fulani herdsmen involved in highway robbery and kidnapping across the country.
And as many Nigerians are complaining of no jobs, foreigners are in various sectors making money and remitting their earnings to their home countries. In other countries, Nigerians do not have the same opportunities that foreigners enjoy here.
When will the interest of Nigerians take pre-eminence over other considerations? Nigerian leaders have a lot to learn from President Trump.
Re: Rofiat Adebisi: Enough for willful killers
As usual l have washed down my Abakaliki Sunday rice with your apt treatise and swallowed hard. Our world, specially our clime, savours evil with relish. Are we not witnesses of the plethora of political killings without trace? Didn’t Dele Giwa die for his pen? A story was told of how a Pentecostal pastor was involved in money laundering and insisted that his cut must be dollarized despite pleas to him to change his mind. He had his way. That same night on his way home, he was murdered. Perpetrators of these acts are either Christians or Muslims. In truth, life has no value in our clime.
–Tony Enyinta, Isuikwuato, Abia State.
Abdulfatah, one could glean your worries and disappointments over how the judiciary is handling murder cases of innocent persons in your piece Rofiat Adebisi: Enough For Willful Killers. There are many reasons for that. Apart from corrupt practices caused by inadequate remuneration for judicial officers, which opens them to bribery to manipulate them, some of such justices are themselves, in cases such as Rofiat’s, involved in ritualistic acts for one reason or another. Another area is that of misinterpretation of religious commandments. The faithful of some religions kill members of other religions in spite of disapproval of killing by all known faiths. And when such a culprit is dragged before a fanatical judge of the same faith with him, the judge sympathises with the accused and set him free on frivolous premise. Although the driver who made confession on Rofiat’s case was reportedly arrested, what about the herbalist? Your article might spur the police to hasten action on necessary judicial processes to prosecute the case fast. Many religious faithful still patronize traditional gods, paying homage to them to curry their favour on many grounds. Only God knows those who are serving Him in truth. Many are simply pretentious about serving God who cannot be deceived. With such acts, only God’s grace can change the wicked to righteous acts. That driver must have been spiritually touched to make the confession. There are two sides to humans on earth, the good and evil. And everyman has a spiritual right of choice between the options. The only choice open to us is to ask for God’s intervention to minister to the hearts of the wicked for a change to good deeds. God hear our prayers, Amen. Asking government to compensate families of murder victims looks unachievable in Nigeria.
–Lai Ashadele.