BY REV FR GERALD NWAFOR
It has been a mixture of information and feelings since the American president Donald John Trump said in a post on social media that he was instructing the Pentagon “to prepare for possible action” to wipe out “Islamic Terrorists” in the country. “If we attack,” he wrote, “it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” I did not see anything wrong with this statement because we all in Nigeria agreed that “Islamic terrorists” have been ravaging the country since 2009.
The governments of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and presently Tinubu have shown that they cannot stop the menace of the terrorists.
Those terrorists are running amok in the northern part of Nigeria and, from time to time, would strike the vulnerable part of southern Nigeria, as we saw in Owoh. Who is afraid of help from United State of America? In some cases, the narrative was twisted so that Trump said that he was coming to invade Nigeria.
Please, is there any word or synonym that looks or sounds like invasion? I do not believe that we are reading the same text with the people saying no to this help offered.
The Islamic terrorist group are getting help from the rest of their terrorist friends to boost their weapons and territorial occupation and you are saying that we should not accept help to stop the danger.
I am surprised that some ‘noble men’ show up on international television to object to this offer. I looked around the group of people, saying that they do not need this wonderful offer from the USA: they are the elites and the bourgeoisie.
Now I know the real meaning of the proverb of our people that states, “The insecurity in the land benefits the elites and the ruling class,” (Ani adiro mma bu ulu ndi nze).
It is clear to me that some people are benefiting from this insecurity, and they would try everything to make sure that the war on terror did not end.
A war that has taken up 12% of the total budget since 2015 and has nothing to show for it. Some people said that Trump is not serious about coming to Nigeria, but the response by the US Defense Secretary has since changed the position.
The following day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the president’s post with: “Yes, sir.” The Pentagon, he said, was “preparing for action.” I followed the situation very closely.
I do not clamor for war, but I would not be quiet when a group of people is discussing how to eliminate me and the people who have the same religious affiliation as me. Even one of the ex-ministers of Nigeria said that we would fight the Americans if they tried to come and save us.
My question is simple: if you have that power to fight, why not use it on the terrorists? Anyways, I should not waste time on what the minister said but look deeper on to what President trump said further, While Nigerians were debating whether it is an invasion or a help, Trump added “The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately,” “Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” So, one may ask in sincerity of heart, where is the ambiguity of this statement coming from? The successive governments have failed us in this war against the Islamic terrorists, and we sincerely need help.
The Nigerian government is arguing that both Christians and Muslims are being killed. Donald Trump is saying nobody deserved to be killed. If the problem with the statement is Christian genocide, we can also remove it and say that Christians and Muslims are being killed.
The bigger question that the elites do not want to answer is who are the sponsors of this Islamic terrorism? Nobody wants to answer that question. I do not want to join the politicians who have a lot to lose if the war on terror ends today and budget padding on military disappears.
Neither would I reply to the attack dogs of the government who were paid to say that white is black and black, white. I will continue to pray to a God who fights for the poor and the marginalized, to send us a savior to stop this terrorist attack on the innocent citizens of Nigeria.
And the only savior now is the president of the United States of America.He finally warned the Nigerian government that, “If it continued to allow the killing of Christians, the United States would immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” I have witnessed the government of Nigeria for over fifty years, and I can assure you that nothing will happen on the side of Nigeria to end the terrorism. The military has eaten the forbidden apple, the political class has tasted the forbidden fruit, and the elites have entered the circle of the military and political lords and have been contaminated.
The end to this problem cannot come from the hands of the Nigerian government, nor will it come from the hands of the military that has been seriously short-changed. We need help from anywhere but not from hell. Donald Trump’s offer will go a long way to solving the problem of Islamic terrorists in Nigeria.
We know where they are in Nigeria (Sambisa Forest). We know who they are because they hold meetings with the governors of Northern Nigeria, and we know their targets always.
They do not target Aso Rock, or the Hallowed chamber of the national assembly. They only target the poor farmers, the poor Christian community, and the less privileged in our communities. They are hiding in plain view.
The government can clean them up in one week, but since they decided to do their diligent duty as government to protect life and property, we are now calling on Donald Trump to come and do the needful so that we can have our lives back and begin to live like humans once again.
Do not listen to the war mongers who said that America is coming to occupy Nigeria, nor should you listen to those who said that America is coming to invade Nigeria; they are liars. The truth is this and nothing but the truth: “America is coming to flush out the Islamic terrorist group killing both Christians and Muslims.”
