The Revive Nigeria Group has described as unnecessary and unacceptable, the outburst by US President President who reportedly described Haiti and African nations “Shithole countries”
A statement by the group said “Race and nationality were prime considerations in his unguarded comments. This collective and demeaning denigration of a broad collective of nationalities and continents was unnecessary and unacceptable, even for Trump.”
The statement reads “The Washington Post, CNN and several other media outlets reported that in a meeting last Thursday with US Lawmakers, over immigration, President Donald Trump asked the following:”Why are we having all these people, (referring to African Countries, Haiti, El Salvador) from “Shithole Countries” come here”? Instead, he wondered, “why we should not bring more people from Norway instead.” No one who has followed Donald Trump throughout his adult life, his campaign for the presidency and his presidency since January 20, 2017 will be entirely surprised. These types of rantings and uncharitable remarks about various nationalities have become regular staples of his presidency. And usually unprovoked! The US Ambassador to the UN Nicky Haley, engages regularly in ad hominems against non European countries at the UN. So why should this most recent “Shithole ” diatribe evoke any special umbrage? African nations and Nigeria in particular, should have every reason to repudiate in unmistakable terms this current and absolutely despicable collective denigration and characterization of Africans and Haitians as coming from “Shithole countries “. This is beyond the pale and clearly crosses any proverbial “red line” of decency. A number of issues need to be emphasized, with particular reference to Nigeria.
First of all, we acknowledge that every country has the prerogative of determining its own Immigration Policy. But, such policies are usually guided by certain global conventional norms and decency. In the same breath as he was unleashing on immigrants from “Shithole Countries “, he was gratuitously asking for Norwegians to emigrate to the US. Race and nationality were prime considerations in his unguarded comments. This collective and demeaning denigration of a broad collective of nationalities and continents was unnecessary and unacceptable, even for Trump.
Secondly, it is unclear how he defines ” Shithole Countries ” and we may never know the objective indicators he used. He may not know himself, because such emotional outbursts usually come from inner recesses filled with xenophobia and racism. Even if we take his insults and his nomenclature at face value, Nigeria cannot by any stretch of the imagination be characterized as such. Nigerians have consistently, for decades, been at the top rankings in the US and the UK as the best performing students, professionals in the fields of Medicine, Health Science, Engineering, Humanities, etc. from the best US institutions.
Trump must have forgotten that upon his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States, he chose a Nigerian-American, Adebayo Ogunlesi, Chairman and Managing Partner of a New York based $5.64 billion private equity firm, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) to be a member of his Economic Advisory Council. He also fails to remember Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigeria-American Neuropathologist, who first discovered Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) that affects many past and present players in the NFL, a league that has several Nigerian-Americans playing in. Nigerians are excelling, profoundly, in Academia, the NBA, Collegiate sports and Hollywood. Revive Nigeria Group, RNG, recognizes Nigeria’s diaspora population in the US who continue to make us proud in their continued strive for excellence.
As the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria remains a major trading partner of the US and its key strategic partner in the war on terror. Most major US corporations are doing well in Nigeria. US – Nigeria partnership has been coveted and nurtured by previous US administrations, since President John F Kennedy. Trump’s stance on Nigeria is an aberration borne out of ignorance of international issues and the importance of decorum and mutual interests, compounded by his visceral dislike of non European countries and people.
There is every reason to expect more of this ad hominems, but they should not be left unchallenged. While making its position known on this issue, Nigeria must push for a collective response and reprobation by the African Union and must seriously put in place an African position to respond to what is shaping up as an extremely hostile US administration under President Trump.”
