The former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has expressed reservations over the decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
In a statement posted on his official X (Twitter) account on Sunday, Kwankwaso noted that insecurity in Nigeria affects citizens regardless of religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation.
He urged the U.S. government to assist Nigeria with advanced security technology and intelligence instead of taking actions that could worsen existing divisions. “I have noted with increasing concern the heightened pronouncements on Nigeria by President Donald Trump,” Kwankwaso wrote.
“Our country is a sovereign nation facing different forms of insecurity that do not discriminate by religion, ethnicity, or politics.” The former Kano State governor stressed that the United States should work with Nigerian authorities to strengthen counterterrorism capacity, not issue threats that could deepen internal tensions. He further advised the federal government to appoint special envoys and permanent ambassadors to engage Washington and safeguard Nigeria’s interests abroad. “At this moment, we must emphasise unity over division,” he added.
Meanwhile, TVC News earlier reported that Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had already taken proactive steps in anticipation of the U.S. declaration.
According to Onanuga, Tinubu, during his inauguration, had tasked the newly appointed service chiefs to brace up for the security and diplomatic challenges ahead, describing the situation as part of an “orchestrated game unfolding in America.”
