Early last week when it was announced that Donald Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, has won about five states during the primaries, there was a lot of arguments whether he is the right man for America considering his caustic utterances.
While some said Trump’s emergence would be dangerous for Nigeria, some others said it would be okay to check the excesses of Nigerian leaders who run to America at whim for help.
Trump has not hidden his hatred for non-performing Nigerian leaders who, instead of facing the herculean task of governance at home, busy themselves with endless foreign trips in the name of investment drive.
Early in his campaign, the presidential aspirant had spoken roughly against Africa, singling out Nigeria and Kenya. He said Nigeria had taken up employments meant for the American citizens and had scaled up crime rate in the “God’s Own Country.”
In his speech at Indianapolis during the flag off of his campaign, Trump had alleged that “some Africans are lazy fools, only good at eating… and stealing.”
“The best they can do is gallivanting around ghettoes… Look at African countries like Kenya for instance, those people are stealing from their own government and go to invest the money in foreign countries,” he had said.
At his recent outing, Trump said: “To Make America great again, we need to get rid of the Muslims, Mexicans and the Africans, especially the Nigerians. They take all our jobs, jobs meant for honest hard working Americans, and when we don’t give them the jobs, the Muslims blow us up”, Trump said.
The presidential aspirant further said: “We need to get the Africans out. Not the blacks, the Africans, especially the Nigerians. They’re everywhere. I went for a rally in Alaska and met just one African in the entire state. Where was he from? Nigeria! He’s in Alaska taking our jobs. They’re in Houston taking our jobs. Why can’t they stay in their own country? Why? I’ll tell you why. Because they are corrupt. Their Governments are so corrupt; they rob the people blind and bring it all here to spend. And their people run away and come down here and take our jobs! We can’t have that! If I become president, we’ll send them all home. We’ll build a wall at the Atlantic Shore. Then maybe we’ll re-colonise them because obviously they did not learn a damn thing from the British!”
The other day, Trump was reported to have come heavily on President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing him of abandoning his beat in Nigeria and running around other leaders for assistance.
Some Nigerians who spoke with BDSUNDAY bared their minds on the issue, saying that Nigerian leaders deserve the insult from Trump as they have consistently failed to behave well.
A pensioner, who retired from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), who simply identified himself as Mr. Akintoye, said Nigerian leaders needed someone to teach them a lesson or two which they have refused to learn.
“We have a country where some people behave as if they are gods because they control the instrument of power. There is corruption all over the world; in fact, no system is free of corruption, but it is the degree that matters. Elsewhere, if $155 million is earmarked for a project; 5 million dollars may be missing at the end of the day and the project is executed and delivered within the time frame and quality stipulated; but in Nigeria, they will steal everything and maybe commit $5 million into the project and abandon it ultimately. And nobody asks questions because both those who award the contracts and the contractors are involved in the dirty deal,” Akintoye explained.
“Coming to Trump’s outburst, and his anger against Nigerian leaders, it is reasonable. Why do I say so? I see our leaders as hypocrites. They go outside and see how orderly such societies are, but when they come here, they accept to live like animals. So, when Trump sees such baffling contradictions he wonders if such leaders have any sense of reasoning at all.
“Now, to your question, I would be the happiest person to see Trump emerge president and come heavily on our so-called leaders. They really need to be taught some hard lessons. America doesn’t have much interest in Nigeria any more with what is going on in the oil market. It no longer relies so heavily on our oil; so it can take any decision and damn the consequences,” he further said.
Tony Nnorom, a trained psychologist, believes that Trump’s observations were meant to call Nigerian leaders to order, but expresses sadness that the people to whom the message was being targeted at are not getting it.
“Donald Trump is passing a hard message which most people have shied away from. You see, America knows where her interest lies. They promise us heaven on earth, but when we turn our back they said ‘forget these people.’ They know us too well. So, Trump is using the occasion of his campaign to say to Nigerian leaders, ‘look, to benefit from my government, if I become the president, you must be this and that.’ It is left for our people to put their acts together.
“Have you asked yourself, why has there been no official response to Trump’s outburst, it is because, let me hazard, those he is addressing know he is saying the right thing. They know that not just Trump, the entire world knows how poorly Nigerian governments have been doing and how this has negatively impacted the lives of their citizens. Look, many Nigerians are in America today because of the difficult situation in Nigeria. They prefer to stay there if only to have their basic daily food. The home country is not conducive. Here, life expectancy is as low as 50 because of poor governance. Nigeria, I must say, is an extreme location to survive on the face of the earth,” Nnorom said.
Nduka Unya, a political economist, told our correspondent that Trump’s outburst should set Nigerian leaders thinking rather than make them see the man as an enemy. For me, the person who tells me the truth about my person is my friend unlike another that massages my ego.”
According to him, the presidential aspirant is being truthful and does not like to massage our ego just because he is seeking votes and support.
“Trump is showing us the place of transparency. Here’s a man, while seeking votes and massive support, he is telling people what he will not tolerate if he gets there. Unlike our brand of politicians that will tell you they will build mansions for everybody, that corrupt people are no longer corrupt just to get their votes, Trump tells corrupt people to keep their votes and that he would not tolerate them. Trump knows that African population in America is huge and can swing victory in his favour; he knows that foreigners in America could help him win by their votes, but he is telling them that some of them are negative influence to Americans and he is saying he will deal with them when he wins. What a truthful politician!
“But we have our ‘brother’, Barrack Obama, who spoke sweetly to Africa during his campaigns; he behaved to Nigerians as if he loved the country; but what has Nigeria benefited from the Obama administration? He has been to Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and he refused to come to Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa. What does that tell us?
He does not like the style of leadership in Nigeria. It is as simple as that. Some years back, when he went to Ghana, he directed his speech to Nigeria, saying ‘Africa does not need strongmen but strong institutions.’ Years after he made the observation the institutions are yet to be built. Strongmen are everywhere dictating the pace of things and hindering Nigeria’s forward march.”
Zebulon Agomuo
