Trump Should Be A Wake-up Call!

ABIODUN KOMOLAFE 

President Donald Trump of the United States of America is a creation of time. The key point is not in changing America. Instead, Trump is revealing America as it is! The America that we knew – represented by F.D. Roosevelt, J.F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter – was perhaps just a fleeting moment or a facade. Trump’s presidency has exposed the underlying realities of the country, making it clear that the perceived America was not entirely genuine.

Trump epitomizes the body and the spirit of the White conquest of Native Americans, which is reflected in his immigration policy. On the surface, his policy aims to eliminate illegal immigrants, criminal gangs and narcotics dealers. However, in reality, Trump, as POTUS, and his supporters are pursuing a Whites-only immigration agenda, similar to the one once employed by Australia, which has now been discarded. The response to South Africa’s land reforms is clearly in this direction.

Trump’s offer to allow White South Africans to immigrate to the US as refugees is disquieting, especially since this opportunity wasn’t extended to Palestinians or other groups. But then, this move isn’t surprising, given the long-standing discussions in the US about repopulating sparsely populated states like Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The president seems to view this as a chance to appeal to those who fear losing their demographic majority.

Not everything is wrong with Trump! For instance, his administration’s cost-effective unit aimed at reducing waste and inefficiency in government aligns with the recommendations of Nigeria’s Oronsaye Report, which was submitted in 2012. It’s ironic that Trump is implementing reforms that Nigeria should have undertaken years ago. This highlights Nigeria’s slow pace in addressing its own inefficiencies. Importantly, while Trump’s policies, such as dismantling USAID and the Department of Education, are not entirely commendable, his focus on cost-efficient units could serve as a catalyst for Nigeria to revisit and implement the Oronsaye Report’s recommendations.

Similarly, Nigeria seems to expect the US, under Trump’s leadership, to take responsibility for recovering its stolen wealth. However, if the US Department of Justice is no longer pursuing cases against individuals who have looted Nigeria’s treasury and stashed the funds in the US, it raises questions about Nigeria’s own role in addressing corruption. Ultimately, the issue reveals the shape and size of a deeper problem: why does Nigeria have such weak institutions that billions of dollars can be easily embezzled and laundered abroad?

So, Trump’s actions should be a wake-up call for us to “padlock the stable doors” to prevent the horse from bolting. It’ll be in our interest not to allow other countries to capture the horse which has fled because we refused to padlock the stable doors. Padlocking the stable doors should have involved setting up a congressional budget office to monitor and police a budget process since 1999. That this was not done and it’s not about to be done shows a complete and utter lack of seriousness in our curbing waste and corruption.

In addition, the refusal to use a performance planning budgeting system, first proposed by the late Omowale Kuye as the Director General of Budget in 1983, reveals a lackadaisical attitude towards budget and project management and implementation. So, no one can, or should, hold Trump responsible for Nigeria’s ineptitude.

Trump and his supporters had a clear agenda, Project 2025, which became public knowledge before his presidential nomination. Since his tariff policies would likely have far-reaching effects on Nigeria, Nigeria should have prepared countermeasures in case he won, but did we? Were we fully prepared for the impact of his presidency? Canada was well-prepared, and swiftly responded to Trump’s policies. In contrast, Nigeria’s history shows it was once adept at preparing for economic challenges, such as the 1967 devaluation of the British pound sterling. But not anymore!

Again, the question remains, where did we lose the plot and what’s next for Nigeria? Now, Nigeria faces brain drain, with doctors leaving the country daily. Was that also caused by Trump? Ours isn’t just a matter of sensible or senseless governance; it’s a result of successive governments failing to effectively communicate with the people. They’ve either used the wrong channels or struggled to convey their message, leaving a gaping hole in their connection with the electorate. Consequently, governments are often caught off guard, scrambling to respond to issues that could have been addressed through proper communication.

The prosperity of the developed world was built on the exploitation and suffering of Black slaves. Unfortunately, the legacy of colonialism and slavery continues to haunt us, with the scars of pillage, human trafficking and forced labour still evident. Iconic symbols of power, such as the White House, were constructed on the backs of enslaved Africans. Similarly, the Arab world’s economy flourished thanks to Mansa Musa’s wealth and the trans-Saharan trade. Yet, despite these historical contributions, the Black world remains economically and socially shackled.

The Bible and Koran, scriptures that advocate for compassion, justice and humility, now serve as a stark contrast to the hypocrisy of their proponents. Colonial powers, who claimed to represent Christianity, exploited our resources, enslaved our people, and treated them as commodities rather than human beings.

As we reflect on Nigeria’s economic challenges, it is essential to consider the importance of informed leadership. The story of the Pharaoh “which knew not Joseph” serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of ignorance and the importance of informed leadership. As if two wrongs have equaled a right, the actions of Pharaoh and Trump share a common thread – both leaders sought to maintain power and control over perceived threats. Pharaoh viewed the Israelites as a danger to his authority, while Trump has portrayed undocumented immigrants as a threat to national security and American jobs.

Ancient civilizations also offer valuable lessons in leadership. In Greece, for instance, Oedipus Rex serves as a moral lesson about the dangers of hubris and ignorance. Likewise, India’s Mahabharata tells the story of the blind king, Dhritarashtra, who ignored wise counsel and led his kingdom to ruin. China’s concept of ‘Mandate of Heaven’ emphasizes the importance of morally just leadership. Conversely, Africa’s ‘Ubuntu’ philosophy prioritizes community and interconnectedness. It highlights the need for leaders to consider the well-being of all people, not just their own constituents. This concept is often cited as a counterpoint to Trump’s ‘America First’ ideology.

Now that Trump has declared war on everybody, it might be a unique opportunity for Nigeria to take control of our economic destiny and build an economy based on self-reliance and the search for export-oriented, value-added policies in order to balance its books, end the perennial current accounts deficits and smash the mould of boom-to-bust cycles. Even as he continues to defy conventions and push the boundaries of executive power, dear country should learn from its history and leverage the population dynamics of countries like the United States and India to create a more sustainable and resilient economy.

The Chinese ideograph for CRISIS is, on one side, Danger, and, on the other side, Opportunity. Essentially therefore, Trump’s second coming presents a fantastic opportunity for Nigerians. We should seize it with both hands. We shouldn’t ask other countries to do for us what we are expected to do for ourselves. In a word, failure to have a coherent response to Trump’s ‘wahala’ only means that Nigeria will continue to move, irresistibly, in the direction of boom-to-bust, underperformance and underachievement, with more Nigerians sliding into poverty. And that will be sad!

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

*KOMOLAFE wrote from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)