Bolaji Akinyemi, a distinguished professor of political science, has urged Bola Tinubu to refrain from confronting Donald Trump, the recently sworn-in 47th President of the United States.
“If I were 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,” Akinyemi said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.
“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 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.”
Prof. Akinyemi, a former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), criticized Donald Trump’s inaugural speech as lacking inspiration and described it as “shocking and depressing.”
The octogenarian noted that instead of promoting global peace, Trump used his address to issue threats and outline a series of aggressive policies, including plans to reclaim the Panama Canal, rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and engage in tariff wars, among others.
Akinyemi warned that the U.S. president would “soon realize there are consequences to policies and jingoism,” predicting a turbulent four years under Trump’s administration.
The former Nigerian Minister of External Affairs also remarked that Nigeria is not on the radar of the 78-year-old leader and advised Africa’s most populous nation not to expect anything remarkable from his presidency.
Donald Trump was sworn in as president on Monday, succeeding Joe Biden, four years after his bid for a second term was cut short by an electoral defeat.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: More Hardship for Nigerians as NCC Finally Approves Tariff Hike for Glo, MTN, Others
At 78, Trump returns to the presidency, no longer the political outsider of his first inauguration in 2017 as the 45th president. This time, he is surrounded by America’s elite, including the world’s wealthiest figures and influential leaders.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, along with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon chief Jeff Bezos, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, were seated prominently at the Capitol alongside Trump’s family and cabinet members.
In contrast to his refusal to attend Biden’s 2021 inauguration following baseless claims of electoral fraud Trump’s return has seen Biden eager to restore tradition. The outgoing president joined former leaders Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton at the ceremony. Former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush were also in attendance, but notably, Michelle Obama was absent.
Follow Parallel Facts on WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
