A coalition of civil society organisations has strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria on religious terms, describing it as an act of aggression and intimidation.
The Coalition for Good Governance (CGG), comprising various non-governmental organisations, self-determination, and public interest groups, made its position known in a press release signed by its leaders, including Nelson Ekujumi, Razaq Olokoba, Gbenga Soloki, Uche Nnadozie, Gbenga Omage, Peter Oparah, Ahmed Jimoh, Muritala Abdullahi, Raheem Ajayi, Popoola Ajayi, and Titilayo Obasa.
“We are shocked, pained, insulted, abused, and traumatised by the brazen, irresponsible, insensitive, provocative, reckless, bullish, and condemnable designation and threat of invasion by President Donald Trump of the United States of America,” Ekujumi stated.
The coalition emphasised that Nigeria is an independent and sovereign nation and not a conquered territory of the US. They questioned the authority of Trump to issue threats of invasion and designation on religious lines based on security challenges.
The group admonished the American President, Donald Trump, to get his facts right on the security situation in Nigeria, which the government and security agencies are tackling. They urged him not to exacerbate the country’s security challenges and instead provide assistance and support to overcome its surmountable challenges.
The CGG demanded an unreserved public apology from Trump to the government and people of Nigeria for his “irresponsible, provocative, wrongful, and condemnable designation and threat of invasion.”
The group emphasized that as at the last count from all available facts, Nigeria is an independent and sovereign nation and not a conquered territory of the US and so, “We are at a loss to rationalize or explain where in the American constitution, President Trump derived the powers or authority to issue threat of invasion and designation of Nigeria on religious lines based on our security challenges”.
The coalition admonished the American President to get his facts right on the security situation in the country, which is being frontally tackled by the government and security agencies, because the primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of its citizens, and urge him not to be misled to exhibit the character of crudity, barbarism and stone age despotism which his comment represents.
The Coalition for Good Governance (CGG) used the occasion of the press release to call on the American President not to exacerbate Nigeria’s security challenges, of which every country in the world has it’s own fair share, on the basis of religion, “because all life matters”.
Nelson Ekujumi stated that “What the Nigerian government and people needs at this critical moment of it’s political and economic re-engineering for peace, progress and prosperity by the President Bola Tinubu administration, is for the American government and other progressive countries, institutions and partners, to provide it with needed assistance, support, encouragement, cooperation and collaboration to overcome it’s challenges which are surmountable.
The group charged the American establishment to avail President Trump courses on civility, respect, responsibility of public office, sovereignty of nations, international diplomacy and democratic ethos, because of his penchant for conducts and comments unbefitting of the occupant of the White House
The coalition then demanded an unreserved public apology from President Trump to the government and people of Nigeria for his irresponsible, provocative, wrongful and condemnable designation and threat of invasion, which is crude, barbaric and an assault on the sovereignty of the Nigerian State.
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