“In a modern democracy, evangelicals are satanic weapons of mass destruction.”
― Dr. Anthony Obi Ogbo
In my previous article, I had classified Black people stomping for Donald Trump as “Idiots”. This was not because there is anything wrong with supporting a politician or a party, but, thoughtless political support confutes the very core purpose of what politics should be. Thus, political affiliation without substantial attachments of interests and benefits might end up as a worthless show of sycophancy.
Bertrand Russell was apt when he posited: “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.” Indeed, Fools are sometimes so overconfident that even geniuses are left in doubt of themselves. An African proverb says that when a mad man gleefully dances naked in the public, only his family members hide their faces in shame. In this case, when my African American brethren – especially those from Nigeria – harped for the administration/personality that brought back the pains and throes of the transatlantic slave trade, many right thinking African Americans cowered in shame. Just like the reveling of the mad man that ends him in the gutters of murky waters, many practical minds knew where this particular dance would end!
Unlike the African proverb referenced, this dance was both disgusting and nauseating to all right thinking people of color – especially Nigerians. This is exactly why President Donald Trump’s crushing support among Nigerians is still generating controversies. Here is a President who butchered existing core policies tied to Nigeria’s interests in the United States. Trump’s negative obsession with matters about Nigeria is obvious. He acts it, verbalizes it, and uses his official privileges to execute his punitive ‘Executive Orders.’
Just last month, the Trump Administration barred Nigeria from its 2022 diversity-visa program, popularly known as the Visa Lottery.
For instance, just last month, the Trump Administration barred Nigeria from its 2022 diversity-visa program, popularly known as the Visa Lottery. His administration claimed this was because more than 50,000 Nigerians emigrated to the U.S in the past five years. Yet, they forgot to mention that the population of Nigeria is more than all ECOWAS countries put together. Over 200 million, and still counting!
In 2018, The Trump administration’s Executive Order expanding his restriction of immigrants from Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania went into effect. Including Nigeria in this ban was a shocker to most prominent authorities in Corporate, Academic, and Diplomatic spheres who strongly opposed it.
Yet, Nigeria’s ban by this Administration contradicted Trump’s policy. In selling his now failed immigration proposal, Trump had indicated the need for high scale well-educated English people, who can assimilate easily and give back to the United States. But, Nigeria pretty much fits that competency requirement based on various academic research published in virtually all major global media outlets. So what is Trump’s problem?
This year alone, the Trump Administration went after Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the President of Africa Development Bank (AfDB), who was in the process of campaigning for a second term. The administration had vindictively relied on a closed investigation of baseless allegations by a group of whistleblowers against Dr. Adesina to perpetuate his detestation of Nigerians.
Similarly, the Trump Administration opposed the selection of former Nigerian Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) new leader, even after she was overwhelmingly elected by the majority of the members. Trump displayed unveiled disdain and loathe of the Nigerians – and played gallery in the midst of WTO’s 164 members, opposing Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s selection.
Yet, these actions are consistent with Trump’s animosity against most developing countries. He had referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries” during a meeting with a bipartisan group of Senators at the White House. Also, Trump had demonstrated his intense aversion of these nations by undoing several policies created by his predecessors to boost economic ties with the United States. For instance:
- On February 21, 2017, he reversed the immigration enforcement guidance, massively expanding the number of people subject to detention and deportation. The guidance radically increased the use of expedited removal – and essentially eliminated the priorities for deportation. Hundreds of Nigerians were caught up in these punitive orders. They languished in detention before being illegally deported.
- Trump’s fruitless attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, without a replacement has stretched throughout his administration. Today, amidst the Pandemic, the ACA which equally covered thousands of Nigerian residents, is in the Supreme Court battling with Trump’s repeal lawsuit.
- On August 02, 2017, Trump endorsed support of legislation that would slash legal immigration in half over a decade. A policy will hurt Nigerians and other developing countries.
- Remember DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals? On September 5, 2017, Trump announced that the Administration was rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — a policy that would destructively affect thousands of Nigerian kids.
- Whereas the Igbos in Eastern Nigeria brag about their ancestral connectivity with Haiti, they have failed woefully to stand with this nation over Trump’s anti-Haiti policies. On November 20, 2017, the Trump administration announced it would terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation in 18 months for approximately 59,000 Haitians living in the United States.
- On June 11, 2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the creation of a ‘denaturalization task force’ in a push to strip naturalized citizens of their citizenship. This program is indeed targeted at Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania — the same countries Trump issued a restriction on.
- On June 18, 2018, Nikki Haley, then U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, announced that the United States was withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council. This means that the Trump Administration does not care about Human rights abuses in Africa, especially Nigeria, a country with a long history of human rights cruelties.
- In a similar action, on April 12, it was reported that the Trump administration would not nominate anyone to the 18-member United Nation’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
I could go all day citing Trump’s policy witch-hunt and anti-Nigerian; and, this is what makes his ‘popularity’ in Nigeria so injudicious…
Politics is a science of interests of who gets what, when, how, and why? Political interests are calculated based on policies, not emotions. Policies are not measured by lifestyle or unverified claims of the spiritual or religious covenant. Unfortunately, for many ‘Trumping’ Nigerians, Trump is all that. They worship him like ‘some kind of god’, praising his name as if he was some kind of ‘Jesus’. They even violently defend his strings of policy-making transgressions from every perspective. In social media, there are thousands of pro-Trump videos and sound bites by Nigerians showering him with praises and blatantly fuelling his anti-media fake-news rhetoric.
Some of them have turned their altar into an immoral cult for promoting Trump’s conspiracy theories.
Nigeria’s so-called ‘spiritual leaders’ are worse because most of them had sworn with their blood and worship alters, that this Trump fella, was singlehandedly sent by God to ‘save the world’. Some of them have turned their altar into an immoral cult for promoting Trump’s conspiracy theories. They would ‘speak in tongues’, invoke Bible verses to support their deceit, and share their concocted prophecies which they often refer to as “Message from God.” You could see some of them on the pulpit relaying their ‘prophecies’ as they walk from one end to the other like rock band vocalists, jumping and shaking in dramatic vulgarity.
How comical can it get?
Shortly before the Elections, a large group of supporters in Onitsha wore white and blue outfits — reflecting the Israeli flag — jammed the streets, waving American flags, “Make America Great Again” placards, and images of President Trump. Onitsha is in Anambra state, South Eastern Nigeria. This region is predominantly Igbo Christians, who are also passionate about unsubstantiated claims of ancestral connection with Israel. They marched the streets, sang Christian songs, and prayed for their ‘Messiah’, Donald Trump.
Trump was humiliated during the campaign, debates, and, eventually trashed at the polls.
To cap up this Trump madness, this election came and passed with a totally different outcome. Trump was humiliated during the campaign, debates, and, eventually trashed at the polls. One thing that comes out strongly is that emotionalism does not have numbers that change destinies. Whether mature or far-flung, the intensity of emotional outbursts does not confuse, rather it CONVINCES. The more irrationally emotional the Trumpsters got, the more ridiculous they were. Thus, VOTES PREVAILED OVER EXTREMISM AND BLIND FOLLOWERSHIP. The American system prevailed over unfounded prophetic ambiguity, and commonsense prevailed over stupidity.
Indeed, there are still lessons from Trump’s global electioneering humiliation, especially for Nigerians – having come from a region where good governance is as rare as hens’ teeth. Nigeria must not fight, jeer, cry or cheer over this current America’s election drama, rather they should learn from it. So, here are some lessons to consider in evaluating Trump’s reelection mayhem as a remedy to governance shortfalls:
- Voters are more destructive to the system than the leaders they elect and accuse
- In a modern democracy, evangelicals are ‘satanic weapons of mass destruction’
- Tyranny is the real test of democracy – for America has now seen what Africa has been going through for decades
- Idi Amin’s cannibalism is not a western hoax. Dictatorship is real
- Hysterically, unrestrained Spiritism, in the name of Christianity, is mental health disorders
- Christians remain good followers of Christ, whereas evangelicals are politically organized wicked souls
- The problem with Nigeria is not just Buhari; Voters need serious education to change the narrative – and Americans just did!
As the Trump Presidency grinds to an inglorious halt, Donald Trump must reflect on Donald Rumsfeld’s statement: “In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead, a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership”. In addition to the tough leadership lessons from the White House, Donald Trump must keep learning outside the Oval Office!
And, Israelmore Ayivor, in his book, Leaders’ Ladder warns: “You don’t necessarily need atomic bombs to destroy a nation. Politicians who value their pockets than the life of citizens always do that every day.” And, I must add, evangelists and idiotic followers, too!
Now, this ‘trumpeteering’ madness is over!
♦ Professor Anthony Obi Ogbo, Ph.D. is on the Editorial Board of the West African Pilot News
