Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has urged the Federal Government to engage experienced diplomats to defend Nigeria’s image following US President Donald Trump’s recent statement designating the country as a “country of particular concern.”
Trump, in a post shared on his Truth Social account and the White House’s X handle on Friday, claimed that Christians were being massacred in Nigeria, describing the situation as “a genocide.”
Reacting to the development, Ndume said Nigeria must urgently counter the narrative by engaging respected diplomats and credible international figures.
“Before things get out of hand, Nigeria should engage seasoned diplomats like Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Babagana Kingibe, Professor Sulu Gambari, and Amina Mohammed of the United Nations,” Ndume said in a statement on Saturday.
He added that the Federal Government should liaise with the American Embassy in Abuja to provide accurate information about Nigeria’s security situation.
“We can change the narrative by ensuring that we aren’t tagged a ‘country of particular concern,’ but rather a ‘country of special concern,’ so they can give us all the support, including arms and ammunition, to effectively contain terrorists,” he said.
Ndume also criticised the Bola Tinubu administration and the Senate for failing to respond promptly to earlier warnings from US lawmaker Riley Moore regarding Nigeria’s security image.
He urged the government to engage Washington with factual data showing that terrorist attacks in Nigeria affect both Muslims and Christians.
“I have alerted the government and even moved a motion. Nigeria is a sovereign state,” Ndume said.
“It’s not about what the United States can do to us, but about the misconception and ripple effects of classifying us as a country of concern. Muslims have been killed too. The genocide isn’t against Christians but Nigerians generally.”
