Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bolaji Akinyemi, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to steer clear of any likely confrontations with the newly inaugurated US President, Donald Trump, in the interest of Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels Television’s morning programme, Politics Today, on Monday, Akinyemi urged Tinubu to maintain a cordial relationship with Trump and ignore his tantrums.
Akinyemi compared the 47th President of the United States to a bully who enjoys taking on people who are not strong enough to resist him.
The former minister advised Tinubu to devise means of dealing with Trump “even if he does things that annoy or step on the interests of Nigeria.”
“If I were President Tinubu, I would try to steer clear of antagonising him. There are ways in which you could address his reaction without confrontation.
“You know there is that African proverb that if you are not strong enough to take on a bully and you take him on, you are just even going to suffer more for it.
“That’s the advice I will give President Tinubu: try and avoid having a confrontation with him even if that means that he does things that annoy or does things that step on the interests of Nigeria,” Akinyemi said.
Akinyemi also faulted Trump’s inaugural speech as “shocking and depressing,” adding that the world is “in for four years of a rough ride” due to his policies, including tariffs.
Trump was sworn in on Monday in Washington, DC. In his inaugural speech, Trump promised to deport millions of “criminal aliens” who illegally gained entry into America.
He also promised to reinstate his “Remain in Mexico” policy and vowed to “rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.”
