Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has criticised U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy American troops to Nigeria, describing the remarks as ignorant and dismissive of the country’s complex security landscape.
Soyinka spoke on Friday after a meeting with Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia in Makurdi, where he cautioned against foreign leaders making sweeping declarations about Nigeria’s internal security challenges.
He said Trump’s comments reflected “a poor, almost non-existent understanding” of the issues fuelling insecurity in the country.
“You don’t just open your mouth and say, ‘I’m coming to help you whether you like it or not… and I’m coming with violence from outside,’” Soyinka said. “Statements like that, promising something fast, vicious and swift, are deeply troubling.”
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The literary icon noted that while governments must protect their citizens, foreign interventions cannot be based on threats or superficial assessments.
“Any government has an obligation to ensure the welfare of its citizens. But at least have some respect for victims and those working to find solutions to an unacceptable situation,” he added.
Soyinka reiterated his long-held position that Nigeria’s security crisis is driven not by religion but by violent groups that exploit faith for political and economic motives.
Trump, on October 31, redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged killings of Christians and threatened unilateral action if the situation continued.
President Bola Tinubu dismissed the claims, saying they “do not reflect our national reality.”
Meanwhile, the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa held a public hearing on Thursday, where lawmakers, religious leaders, U.S. officials and other witnesses expressed sharply divided views over Trump’s classification of Nigeria.
