- Agency Report
A United States-based teacher of international politics, Prof. Mojubaolu Okome, has urged Nigerians to treat U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of military action toward Nigeria as a genuine national security risk.
She spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York about the unfolding security crisis in parts of Nigeria and the tense international response.
Okome, a veteran scholar of international politics and geopolitics, said that while Trump’s rhetoric is dangerous and must be openly rejected, it must not be dismissed.
“He’s been doing things internationally that will deflect attention from domestic politics because he can’t solve the problems here (U.S.),” she said.
“To deflect attention, he can do anything, even something reckless that harms another country. People better take it seriously. He can do it.
“He’s not somebody that is thoughtful and deliberate and sufficiently conscious of the long-term implications of what his actions would produce.”
She described the killings and large-scale violence in some regions as “scary” and acknowledged that Nigerians’ alarm over the slaughter of civilians, including Christians and Muslims is real and painful.
Okome also described Nigeria’s insecurity crisis as genocide.
“I’m not saying it’s not genocide. The way these killings are happening, the viciousness of it, the scale of it, is scary,” she said.
She argued that the problem is broader than religious lines.
“Genocide is genocide. Boko Haram was genocide. Killing of Muslims is genocide too,” she said.
She also criticised Nigeria’s diplomatic negligence, saying Abuja abandoned critical foreign posts.
“We are a sovereign country and have the right to put ambassadors even in this America, we refuse.”
Okome said Nigeria’s failure to maintain strong diplomatic presence weakens its global sovereignty posture.
Okome, a Distinguished Higher Ed Ambassador for the 2025–26 Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Education Programme, also described Nigerians’ calls for foreign rescue as naïve.
“The reason I’m saying America has no business in Nigeria is out of actual understanding of international politics and geopolitics,” she said.
She said the U.S. would intervene only for strategic gain.
“They want our rare earth minerals. If they can access our oil at more concessional terms, they don’t mind,” she said.
“If they can plant a base in our country, it would be a major win for Donald Trump,” she added.
“How do we expect magnanimity from somebody who has actually spoken so terribly about Black people?” she asked.
“He hates Black people. He thinks we are a “shit-hole” country,” she added.
She called out successive Nigerian government administration for poor handling of the security situation in the country until foreign pressure begins.
“They did not pay any attention until Trump said he’s going to rain hellfire,” she said.
The scholar urged Nigeria to take responsibility for its security challenges.
“Acting out of desperation and saying that America is the saviour is a mistake. Let Nigeria take charge of its own business,” she said. NAN