Eminent political scientist and former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against engaging in any confrontation with the newly inaugurated U.S. President, Donald Trump.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Akinyemi urged Tinubu to tread carefully, pointing out that challenging Trump could prove counterproductive.
“If I were President Tinubu, I would try to steer clear of antagonising him because there is nothing a bully likes better than taking on people who are not strong enough to resist him,” he advised.
Using an African proverb to illustrate his point, Akinyemi said, “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. There are ways in which you could address his reaction without confrontation.”
Akinyemi, a former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), expressed disappointment in Trump’s inaugural address, describing it as “shocking and depressing.”
He argued that instead of promoting peace, Trump outlined a series of aggressive policies, including plans to take back the Panama Canal, rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and wage tariff wars.
The professor warned of the consequences of such actions, saying, “The US president would soon learn that there are repercussions to policies, to jingoism,” he said, predicting a tumultuous four years under Trump’s leadership.
Akinyemi noted that Nigeria is unlikely to be a focal point for Trump’s administration, advising the country to temper its expectations.
Trump, who was sworn in on Monday as the 47th U.S. President, succeeded Joe Biden after reclaiming the presidency four years post his failed re-election bid.
