I will continue to sound the warning to Nigerians. Despite the apparent Christian persecution narrative being promoted internationally, what we face in Nigeria today is a national insecurity crisis that knows neither tribe nor religion. It cuts across regions, driven by economics, politics, and power struggles, not purely faith. The tragedy is national, and addressing it demands sober reflection, not sentimental manipulation.
The Anatomy of our Insecurity: Beyond the Headlines
In the Middle Belt, the crisis is not just communal or religious; it is multifaceted, deeply rooted in the scramble for rare-earth mineral resources, land grabbing, and pastoral criminality. Banditry here has evolved into a lucrative enterprise, often financed by shadowy interests, both local and foreign, protecting illegal mining operations.
In the North, insecurity has taken a political dimension. It is fueled by power play, protection of mineral mining territories, and pockets of genuine religious extremism. Here, terrorism has become both an instrument and an industry, feeding off governance lapses and foreign meddling.
In the South East, what began as a peaceful agitation for self-determination was met with high handed state brutality under the guise of “Operation Python Dance.” That heavy-handed approach radicalized a generation, leading to the rise of armed impostors posing as IPOB and ESN, who have since hijacked the narrative and turned it into a lucrative criminal venture. Kidnapping, ritual killings, and assassinations now masquerade as “Biafra struggle.”
At the same time, Fulani herdsmen incursions and gunmen infiltration into the region have further blurred the line between legitimate agitation and organized crime.
The point remains clear: insecurity in Nigeria is no longer ideological, it is industrial.
Tracing the American Connection: A Historical Insight.
Nigerians must understand the geopolitical undertone behind America’s sudden moral awakening. This is not new, it is a recurring cycle of influence, betrayal, and control. Some would reason that most of what I’m about to reveal below happened under the democrats watch, but it is important to note that American foreign policy towards Nigeria hasn’t changed much especially when currently faced with rivalry with China.
The Jonathan Years (2012–2015): The Refusal to Help.
When President Goodluck Jonathan sought U.S. assistance to fight Boko Haram, Washington refused to sell arms or provide direct support. Why?
It was rumoured that then–opposition figures, headed by now president Tinubu, desperate to oust Jonathan, had donated $5 million to the Clinton Foundation during President Bill Clinton’s visit to Nigeria to launch the Eko Atlantic project, a meeting allegedly facilitated by the Chagoury family.
This “transaction” reportedly influenced Washington’s refusal to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist organization, thereby frustrating Jonathan’s arms procurement from other sources. The consequence was disastrous, Boko Haram strengthened, and thousands died.
The Buhari Era: From Hope to Humiliation
When President Muhammadu Buhari came into power, he sought to reset relations with the U.S. He visited President Obama, seeking the repatriation of $2.3 billion Abacha loot. Instead of support, he was told to first “clean his house.” That led to the anti-corruption crusades and the jailing spree that followed, DasukiGate and beyond.
On his second visit, Buhari expected progress. Instead, he was received at Blair House, not the White House, by then–Vice President Joe Biden, a diplomatic slight.
Frustrated, Buhari turned East. He signed delayed agreements with China originally proposed under Obasanjo but stalled due to American disapproval. That pivot toward Beijing reshaped Nigeria’s infrastructure and energy partnerships.
The Obasanjo–Putin Episode: The Ajaokuta Snub
To understand this pattern, one must look further back. In 2000, a newly elected Vladimir Putin called President Olusegun Obasanjo to discuss reviving the Ajaokuta Steel Plant, built by the USSR in 1979 under Shehu Shagari.
Russia offered to mobilize £1 billion through a London investment bank to restart the project. Obasanjo declined, not because Nigeria couldn’t use the deal, but because Washington opposed closer Nigeria–Russia cooperation. That single act froze Ajaokuta’s potential and symbolized Nigeria’s subservience to Western dictates.
Tinubu’s Calculated Realignment
Fast-forward to President Bola Tinubu. Following Buhari’s full cooperation with China, Tinubu has continued that trajectory, cautiously but deliberately.
The West, particularly the U.S., does not trust Tinubu, nor do they hold him in moral esteem. The Biden administration has largely ignored him. In turn, Tinubu, sensing the futility of seeking validation from Washington, has leaned toward the Global South alliance, BRICS, aligning with China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa, with France as a rare Western collaborator.
This shift unnerves Washington. It explains the sudden Trumpian “Christian persecution” narrative, which is less about faith and more about geo-economic reassertion. The U.S. sees Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and resource hub, slipping from its influence into the orbit of Eurasian powers. The religious narrative is simply the emotional instrument of re-engagement.
The Real Game: A Proxy War in Disguise
Let’s be blunt: Trump’s latest warning about “the persecution of Christians in Nigeria” is politically convenient. It aims to pressure Abuja back into America’s fold by framing insecurity as moral failure.
Yes, Nigeria’s Christians and Muslims are both victims of terrorism. Both communities are massacred in villages, on roads, and in worship centers. But framing the conflict as religious persecution is a calculated provocation, the kind that has historically preceded proxy interventions and regime change operations in other nations.
This pattern was seen in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, always preceded by moral framing and followed by military or political disruption.
Ultimately: Between Awakening and Manipulation
Nigeria’s insecurity must be confronted head-on, holistically, not selectively. The bandits, terrorists, and political opportunists destroying the nation care nothing for religion. They serve money, minerals, and power.
What Nigerians must resist is becoming pawns in another global chess game. We must recognize that the U.S. does not offer charity, only leverage.
Our government’s gravitation toward BRICS and multipolar partnerships should be guided by national interest, not fear or propaganda. What we should demand is transparency, accountability, and protection, not blind Western validation.
If Trump’s statement jolts Abuja into taking decisive action, fine. But if it becomes the pretext for a proxy war against China on Nigerian soil, disguised as humanitarian intervention, then Nigerians must reject it with every sense of awareness.
In summary, America’s sudden interest in Nigeria’s “Christian plight” is not evangelism, it is strategy. And as always, Oblong Media will continue to uncover, analyze, and warn, because in Nigeria’s struggle for security and sovereignty, truth remains our last line of defense.
Duruebube Hon. Chima “Oblong” Nnadi-Oforgu
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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