Senate Will Deliberate On Trump’s Claims About Nigeria – Akpabio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said that the Senate will deliberate on recent comments made by United States President Donald Trump about Nigeria, in collaboration with the executive arm of government.

Speaking during the plenary on Tuesday, Akpabio said the matter concerned foreign policy and diplomatic relations, and therefore required a coordinated national response.

He said: “We have not discussed the issue of President Trump yet in chambers.

“We shall do so in combination with the executive because we believe it is a matter of foreign policy and diplomatic relations.

“I have refrained from taking any motion on it until we know the direction of government and what government intends to do.”

Akpabio noted that Trump’s position on Nigeria was not based on current realities but on an outdated report from 2010.

He said: “The position that President Trump is taking is not based on current realities.

“It is based on a purported 2010 report—15 years ago—where some people came on a fact-finding mission from the US Congress. They visited only Plateau and Benue; they did not go to Zamfara or other areas.”

He emphasised that insecurity in Nigeria affects both Christians and Muslims and should not be viewed as a religious conflict.

He stated: “If you go to a predominantly Muslim community where terrorists and bandits strike, the majority of those who die will be Muslims.

“When violence occurs in predominantly Christian communities like Benue and Plateau, the majority of those who die will be Christians.”

Akpabio added that Nigeria’s diversity should be seen as a strength, not a source of division, noting that citizens of different faiths coexist peacefully.

“Nigeria’s problems need to be assessed from all angles, and all we are seeking is peace.

“There is no Nigerian who does not want to sleep with his two eyes closed, and there is no Nigerian who does not live with a Muslim or Christian in their household. Nigeria is multi-religious, multi-ethnic, and we live with one another.

“When issues are taken out of context and misrepresented to create the impression that Christians and Muslims are in conflict, it is completely untrue,” Akpabio stated.