Nigeria needs collaboration, not confrontation with USA

A civil society group, the Hope Alive Initiative (HAI) is greatly concerned over the recent United States Government classification of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern ‘ (CPC). The attached threat of military intervention significantly undermines the country’s security and diplomatic efforts to address its complex security issues effectively.  While acknowledging that activities of […]

A civil society group, the Hope Alive Initiative (HAI) is greatly concerned over the recent United States Government classification of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern ‘ (CPC). The attached threat of military intervention significantly undermines the country’s security and diplomatic efforts to address its complex security issues effectively. 

While acknowledging that activities of extremist groups result in the tragic loss of lives, the outcome is better classified as a manifestation of a complex and multi-dimensional crisis that affects every Nigerian irrespective of faith.

While we acknowledge with profound sorrow the murderous killings by extremist groups and the tragic loss of innocent lives, we must categorically state that the victims cut across all religious and ethnic divides. This is not a one-dimensional religious conflict but a complex, multidimensional security crisis affecting Christians, Muslims, and adherents of all faiths alike.

Rather than being confrontational, we urge President Donald Trump and the US government to pursue a collaborative posture in line with its stance on the abuse of human rights across the world as the well-informed stance is better achieved through collaboration to enhance regional stability and strengthen the war on terrorism.

We therefore urge President Donald Trump and the US government to pursue collaboration rather than confrontation—working jointly with Nigeria to enhance regional stability, strengthen counter-terrorism efforts, and ensure the safety and security of all Nigerians.

We highlight Nigeria’s strategic importance as Africa’s most populous nation that has always lived up to its enormous responsibilities in terms of the sacrifices it has made over the years, which include being in the forefront in the continent’s decolonisation efforts, and peace keeping operations across the world, and plead that the country needs the understanding and cooperation of the global community in its determination to sort out its challenging security issues.

It must be noted that the country’s demonstrable efforts, including enhanced intelligence and inter-agency collaboration, community-based security initiatives that prioritise early warnings and local resilience, implementation of the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and expansion of the Interfaith Dialogue Platform, while at the same time upping the ante on its kinetic approach, are enough for it be treated with the respect that it rightly deserves among the committee of nations.  

Nigeria stands as Africa’s most populous nation. It has made enormous sacrifices in blood and treasure for African decolonisation, the emancipation of the black race, and peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and across the world. We deserve to be treated with respect and accorded our rightful place among the nations.

Contrary to claims that Nigeria has been sitting idle, the government has committed substantial resources and implemented comprehensive initiatives. These include increased year-on-year security and defence budgets, various military and security operations across the country, and multi-pronged non-kinetic measures that demonstrate our unwavering commitment to protecting all Nigerians, irrespective of religion or ethnicity, through action, not rhetoric.

HAI therefore call for global support for Nigeria in its intensified diplomatic engagements with its allies, including the US, UK, China, the EU, African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with a view to garnering the much-needed collaboration in the area of intelligence sharing, border and capacity building. 

Ernest Omoarelojie, is the Director of Media and Communication of HAI, a pro-good-governance and development advocacy group in Nigeria.