Nigeria\u2019s growing diplomatic standoff with the United States over President Donald Trump\u2019s threat to deploy military forces to Nigeria has sparked heated national debate.<\/p>\n
While some Nigerians view the move as an affront to sovereignty, others see it as a long-overdue step toward ending years of bloodshed.<\/p>\n
But for Maj. Gen. Henry Ayoola (retd.), former Commander of Operation Safe Haven \u2014 the multi-agency task force combating insecurity in Plateau and surrounding states \u2014 the only people who should fear possible U.S. strikes are terrorist sympathisers.<\/p>\n
According to Ayoola, the uproar over Trump\u2019s warning reflects a lack of understanding of how U.S. foreign policy on religious freedom operates.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people talking about this issue don\u2019t even know that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) exists,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He explained that the USCIRF, established in 1998, monitors global religious freedom violations and annually recommends countries \u2014 including Nigeria \u2014 for CPC status.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince 2009, when Boko Haram emerged, Nigeria has been consistently recommended as a \u2018Country of Particular Concern.\u2019 We\u2019ve been on that list every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CPC designation, Ayoola noted, does not automatically translate into military action.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing designated as a CPC doesn\u2019t mean America will attack you,\u201d he clarified. \u201cThis classification has existed since 2020 under Trump, and even when President Biden delisted us, the USCIRF protested.\u201d<\/p>\n
He urged Nigerians not to panic, describing the move as \u201ca routine diplomatic classification\u201d reflecting Nigeria\u2019s ongoing security crisis.<\/p>\n
Ayoola emphasised that the religious dimension of Nigeria\u2019s conflict is often misunderstood.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about whether only Christians or Muslims are being killed. Every life is sacred. The tragedy is that we\u2019ve turned this into a sentimental argument.\u201d<\/p>\n
He urged Nigerians to unite in defending human dignity rather than politicizing religious identities.<\/p>\n
\u2018Trump\u2019s Order Is a Threat, Not an Attack\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Commenting on Trump\u2019s reported order for the Pentagon to \u201cprepare for possible action\u201d in Nigeria, Ayoola said it merely reflects standard U.S. military readiness procedures.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerica cannot attack Nigeria on the grounds of a CPC designation. What we are seeing is deterrence, not aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Only Those with Something to Hide Should Fear Airstrikes\u2019<\/p>\n Referencing The New York Times report on Pentagon contingency plans, Ayoola dismissed public panic.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only ones who should fear U.S. strikes are those who sympathise with terrorists,\u201d he said. Ayoola noted that any U.S. military activity would require Nigeria\u2019s consent, citing cooperation during the 2020 American hostage rescue mission.<\/p>\n \u201cThat mission was done with full Nigerian cooperation. Even under President Jonathan, private military contractors helped us fight Boko Haram.\u201d<\/p>\n He acknowledged the risks of collateral damage but urged leaders to weigh them against the long-term goal of ending terrorism.<\/p>\n \u2018External Help Is Not Weakness\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019ve been fighting terrorism for 16 years without success, why not accept help?\u201d Ayoola asked. \u201cEven America collaborates with allies. Cooperation doesn\u2019t diminish sovereignty; it strengthens capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n He highlighted the U.S.\u2019s superior technology, such as satellite tracking, as key to achieving faster results.<\/p>\n Ayoola cautioned against viewing U.S. assistance as altruism.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerica is not Father Christmas. Every country acts in its own interest. What matters is ensuring Nigeria also gains.\u201d<\/p>\n He criticised past governments for failing to convert foreign interventions into national advantage.<\/p>\n Responding to speculation that Washington might seek a military base in Nigeria, Ayoola urged pragmatic assessment.<\/p>\n \u201cIf external help can shorten this war, why not explore it? Let\u2019s assess the risks and benefits dispassionately. Life is about trade-offs.\u201d<\/p>\n Between Sovereignty and Survival<\/strong><\/p>\n For Ayoola, Nigeria faces a defining choice between pride and pragmatism.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real enemies are not America or Trump. The real enemies are those killing innocent Nigerians every day,\u201d he said. \u201cOnly terrorist sympathisers should fear U.S. strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25cf\u25cf\u25cf This report is drawn from an interview granted The SUNDAY PUNCH.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nigeria\u2019s growing diplomatic standoff with the United States over President Donald Trump\u2019s threat to deploy military forces to Nigeria has sparked heated national debate. While some Nigerians view the move as an affront to sovereignty, others see it as a long-overdue step toward ending years of bloodshed. But for Maj. Gen. Henry Ayoola (retd.), former […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":95799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5807,5777,7,8],"tags":[263,7411,7463,7461,249,7462,877,783,2447],"class_list":["post-95948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-crime-and-violence","category-features","category-news","category-politics","tag-boko-haram","tag-donald-trump","tag-international-relations","tag-maj-gen-henry-ayoola","tag-nigeria","tag-religious-freedom","tag-security","tag-terrorism","tag-u-s-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/95799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cThose worried about America hitting insurgent camps should ask themselves whose side they are on.\u201d<\/p>\n