The national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Musa Gabam, has said the US president, Donald Trump’s recent comment about genocide in Nigeria is a direct threat to the nation’s sovereignty and image in the international community.
The Trump-led U.S. government has designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged violations of religious freedom and genocide against Christians.
Reacting to the development, Gabam said the claims were unfounded and unfair to a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like Nigeria, where insecurity affects citizens of all faiths.
According to him, “Nigerians are being killed from both faiths. The country’s security challenges cannot be reduced to a single religious narrative.”
He noted that the North-East and North-West regions, in particular, have suffered massive violence, with the majority of victims being Muslims.
According to him, such facts contradict Trump’s assertions and underscore the need for Nigerians to focus on their shared humanity rather than divisive rhetoric.
Gabam urged the administration of President Bola Tinubu to swiftly engage in strategic diplomacy and appoint competent, patriotic Nigerians as ambassadors who can defend the country’s reputation abroad.
“This development calls for urgent and informed international dialogue. The Nigerian government must respond with facts, figures, and credible representation to counter these misleading claims.
“Nigeria needs support, not threats or military solutions. Our leaders must prioritize service over personal interests and demonstrate commitment to protecting the lives and property of all Nigerians,”he said.
Gabam recalled that this was not the first time Trump had made disparaging remarks about Nigeria, citing his past comments describing the country as “fantastically corrupt” and imposing visa restrictions on Nigerians.
He said such statements should serve as a wake-up call for the Nigerian leadership to rebuild confidence in governance and tackle the root causes of insecurity and corruption.
Gabam stressed that the failures of successive administrations had compounded the nation’s current predicament, and urged the Tinubu government to learn from those mistakes by taking decisive actions to restore peace and stability.
He said the government must ensure that security agencies operate with professionalism, respect for human rights, and transparency, calling for a holistic approach to tackling the causes of terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping, which have ravaged the country for over a decade.
