Nigeria may soon be on a collision course with the United States over Boko Haram, security and terrorism matters.
The prediction over a probable US-Nigeria face-off followed the latest appointment by U.S. President Donald Trump.
On Thursday February 20, Trump appointed Richard Grenell, current Ambassador to Germany, as the acting Director of National Intelligence.
Interestingly, ahead of the 2015 general elections, Grenell wrote an article titled “Nigeria On The Brink”.
Grenell, in the analysis published on Washington Times, warned Nigerians against electing General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as President.
The envoy pointedly accused Buhari of being a bigot who had alleged sympathy for rampaging insurgents responsible for destruction of several lives, properties and government infrastructure.
Grenell said: “Mr Buhari has spoken sympathetically about members of the terrorist group Boko Haram, has cautioned against a rush to judgement on its members and has been personally selected by the terrorist group to lead its negotiations with the Government of Nigeria.
“Mr. Buhari’s election as Nigeria’s head of state would be a disaster for Africa. It would also signal trouble for the West’s fight against ISIS and terrorism throughout the Middle East”.
It is unclear if Grenell still holds the same view about the leader of Africa’s most populous country.
But the Trump administration has never hidden its concern about the insecurity in Nigeria, terrorists acts, murder of civilians, lack of criminals database, among others.
In less than one year, the U.S. slammed four actions against Nigeria and top of the reasons provided was security.
In December 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that there was a high level of religious intolerance under the Buhari government.
The U.S. listed Nigeria among “Special Watch List” countries that engage in “violations of religious freedom”.
During Buhari’s visit to the White House, Trump and Pompeo condemned the persecution and killing of Christians especially in Nigeria’s North.
DAILY POST recalls that on March 22, 2015, the ruling APC blasted the new US Intelligence chief in a strong worded statement and linked him to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
APC called Grenell “a one-time US ambassadorial-aide-turned-media manager, Richard Grenell”, who implied that then APC presidential candidate, Buhari, “is an Islamic fundamentalist prone to terrorist leanings and therefore should not be elected on March 28”.
Garba Shehu, who was APC Presidential Campaign Media Director, described the “provocative advertisement as the handiwork of a failed President (Goodluck Jonathan) and his ruinous party, the PDP, to tarnish the hard won credibility and integrity of Buhari”.
Shehu labelled the party a troubled-cannon, firing salvos in all directions, accidentally and incidentally, without caution, care or conscience.
He noted that “with the stark reality of defeat staring them in the face on March 28 and April 11, 2015, a reward for their maladministration, Jonathan and his co-travellers have intensified their global campaign of calumny and outright fallacy – their well-known stock in trade”.
Shehu wondered how Grenfell, “a former media aide to US Ambassadors to the United Nations, suddenly got adorned in the garb of an emissary or envoy by the PDP?
“For the avoidance of doubt Richard Grenell is not a US ex-envoy but a former spokesperson for four past US Ambassadors to the United Nations. In 2009 Richard Grenell launched Capitol Media Partners, an international strategic media and public affairs consultancy.
“His agency provides strategic counsel for companies and individuals (like Jonathan and the PDP) facing critical media and public policy challenges. Mr Grenell’s firm ”Capitol Media Partners” was recruited by the Presidency and the PDP to say those unfortunate statements about General Buhari.” Shehu accused APC insisted that Richard Grenell made those statements not as an envoy or diplomat but “as a media contractor for the Presidency and the PDP.”
DAILYPOST