Anthony Kila’s ‘Trump’s Nigeria moment’: As a Nigerian who has watched rivers of blood flow — Christians slaughtered in their churches, Muslims butchered in reprisal, villages burnt from Kaduna to Borno — Kila’s piece reads like something written from the moon, not from the soil soaked with our people’s blood… He confuses diplomacy with denial. Nigeria’s crisis is not about “image” — it is about blood, injustice, and truth ignored.
By Chinedu Nwagbara
Anthony Kila’s article, “Trump’s Nigeria Moment,” argues that Donald Trump’s warning to Nigeria about religious persecution is based on ignorance and stereotypes. He portrays President Bola Tinubu as a tolerant, inclusive leader unfairly misrepresented by Trump, and calls for Nigeria to respond with calmness, diplomacy, and internal unity rather than anger. Kila insists the real problem is “perception,” not persecution, and that this episode could help Nigeria redefine its image and unity.
As a Nigerian who has watched rivers of blood flow — Christians slaughtered in their churches, Muslims butchered in reprisal, villages burnt from Kaduna to Borno — Kila’s piece reads like something written from the moon, not from the soil soaked with our people’s blood.
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His polished words deny the pain of ordinary Nigerians who live under the terror of jihadists, kidnappers, and corrupt leaders who hide behind religion while the state fails to protect its citizens. To call Trump’s concern “misguided” is an insult to the graves of thousands who died because the government looked away.
Kila speaks of “unity” and “calm dignity,” but where is the dignity in silence while men, women, and children are massacred? He paints Tinubu as a symbol of religious harmony because his wife is Christian — as if interfaith marriage wipes away government neglect or the impunity of those who kill in God’s name.
The writer confuses diplomacy with denial. Nigeria’s crisis is not about “image” — it is about blood, injustice, and truth ignored. Trump may speak bluntly, but at least he dares to say what our own elites pretend not to see.
If this article was meant to defend Nigeria, it instead exposes the gulf between our suffering people and the comfortable academics who lecture us about perception while we bury our dead.
How I wish I can meet him face to face on a debate podium.
- Barrister DC Nwagbara wrote in from Abuja
