Trump’s Military Threat Forced Tinubu To Act, Says Udenta

The founding National Secretary of the Alliance for Democracy, Udenta Udenta, says the threat from the U.S. President, Donald Trump, to intervene militarily in Nigeria has jolted the Federal Government into taking long-overdue action on insecurity.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Udenta said Trump’s warning though “brash and harsh” had compelled President Bola Tinubu to finally lead from the front.

“It’s a wake-up call. One of the positives of this brash statement of ‘guns-a-blazing’ and ‘disgraced country’ is that it has re-mobilised our national engine rooms. The President has started holding meetings with critical stakeholders in the Villa,” he said.

He criticised the Tinubu administration for previously failing to demonstrate decisive leadership in tackling insecurity, noting that external pressure from Trump had forced a change of pace.

“Sometimes, if you don’t lead, others will compel you to lead. For years, this President and his team have refused to lead from the front on insecurity. External pressure can serve as a wake-up call. if you can’t do it yourself, others may compel you to do it,” he noted.

Describing Trump’s rhetoric as an exercise of “the bully pulpit power” of the American presidency, Udenta said the remarks had not only pressured Nigerian leaders but also reawakened public consciousness about the nation’s security crisis.

“The peace architecture of the state is horrifying today. It has virtually broken down into pieces and must be reconstituted,” he warned.

Udenta also faulted the foreign ministry’s slow response to global developments, saying the recent mobilisation of ambassadors showed that Nigeria is only now awakening.

He supported recent comments by Pastor Enoch Adeboye, who urged the Tinubu administration to eradicate terrorism within 90 days and also advised diplomatic engagement with Trump to delay any planned U.S. military intervention by 100 days.

Udenta’s comments followed reports that the U.S. military had begun drawing up contingency plans for possible airstrikes in Nigeria to protect Christians from terrorist attacks.

According to reports, Trump directed the Pentagon to prepare to intervene, with operational options ranging from intelligence sharing to drone strikes and a full-scale aircraft carrier deployment.

The U.S. president had earlier threatened on Truth Social to send American forces into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” if attacks on Christians continued.

President Tinubu, however, dismissed the description of Nigeria as “a disgraced country” or hostile to Christians, insisting that his government has worked closely with both Christian and Muslim leaders since 2023 to address insecurity.

He also expressed readiness to collaborate with the United States and the international community to safeguard communities of all faiths.