Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka rejects Donald Trump’s threat of military intervention in Nigeria, insisting the nation’s insecurity is driven by extremists, not religion, and says President Tinubu is better equipped to handle the crisis than previous administrations.
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump over his recent comments claiming Nigeria is facing a “Christian genocide” and suggesting possible military intervention.
Reacting to Trump’s remarks, Soyinka dismissed the comments as reckless, misleading, and capable of inflaming religious tensions. According to him, Nigeria’s security challenges have never been rooted purely in religion but in extremist groups exploiting faith to pursue political and economic gains.
Quoting Soyinka,
“Because I’m ill or have difficulties does not mean I should accept aid from a mad man. You cannot just open your mouth and say you’re coming to help someone with violence without any real analysis of where the problem started.”
Soyinka stressed that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of terrorism, banditry, and insurgency, noting that reducing the crisis to a religious war is dangerous and inaccurate.
He further criticized successive Nigerian administrations for allowing extremism and impunity to grow but argued that President Bola Tinubu is more equipped and better positioned than previous governments to confront the insecurity head-on.
The literary icon also referenced his previously revoked U.S. visa, linking it to his criticisms of the Trump administration.
Soyinka urged global commentators, including Trump, to seek nuanced understanding rather than simplified narratives that could worsen divisions. He emphasized that Nigeria’s fight is against extremism, not between religions.
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