Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat to deploy American troops to Nigeria, calling the statement reckless and completely detached from the realities of the country’s security crisis.
Speaking after a meeting with Governor Hyacinth Alia in Makurdi, Soyinka said Trump’s comments showed a predetermined and shallow understanding of Nigeria’s internal problems.
He criticised the impulsive nature of the threat, warning that such aggressive rhetoric ignores the complexity surrounding Nigeria’s security challenges.
“You don’t just open your mouth and say, ‘I’m coming to help you whether you like it or not.’ With poor, almost non-existent analysis, you say you’re coming with ‘guns blazing,’” he said.
Soyinka stressed that while the Nigerian government must protect its citizens, those affected by insecurity deserve dignity and respect, not foreign threats wrapped in bravado.
“Because I’m ill or facing difficulties does not mean I must accept aid from a madman,” he added. “You cannot simply declare you’re coming to help someone with violence without understanding where the problem began.”
A video of the interaction has since circulated online.
