British journalist Christopher Wilson stirred fury among Nigerians with a now-deleted tweet, drawing parallels between Nigeria and Nazi Germany in light of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s visit to the country.
Wilson’s tweet, which has since been removed, likened Nigerians’ welcome of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Nazi sympathizers. He drew a comparison to the controversial visit of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson to Nazi Germany in 1937.
In his tweet, Wilson remarked, “Desperate to show his wife they were still ‘royal’ in the eyes of the world, the Duke of Windsor took Wallis on a tour of Germany in 1937. Nigeria’s human rights record is not far short of Nazi Germany’s.”
The comparison ignited widespread condemnation, with many Nigerians expressing outrage at the journalist’s remarks.
One Twitter user, @wukster2, exclaimed, “How did we become Nazis @TheWislon? You are so triggered by Harry and Meghan that you have resorted to comparing Nigeria to Nazi Germany.”
Another, Faith Harvest, identified as @harvest_fa77000, countered, “Desperate? Nah, there is no comparison. Try as they may to liken Meghan to Wallis Simpson, Meghan is no Wallis and Harry is certainly not an abdicated king with sympathies to Hitler.”
Rufai Oseni, a journalist appearing on Arise TV’s The Morning Show, denounced Wilson’s remarks as racist, stating, “This is the height of racism. He’s just so jealous because Harry and Megan came to Nigeria and they got relevance.”
Glow Lee, tweeting as @GlowanneLee, criticized Wilson’s comparison, saying, “Christopher Wilson is a royalist journalist critical of Meghan from the beginning and has just compared Nigeria to Nazi Germany. This is the mentality of the hard-core royalist.”
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Wilson defended his statement by referencing a 2023 report from the United States Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, highlighting human rights abuses in Nigeria, including extrajudicial killings, torture, harsh prison conditions, and arbitrary arrests.
The visit of Prince Harry and Meghan to Nigeria was intended to celebrate the Invictus Games, a tournament founded by Prince Harry for wounded soldiers. The couple’s engagements in the capital city of Abuja garnered significant attention and reactions worldwide.
Despite the official purpose of their trip, Wilson’s comparison sparked widespread criticism and backlash, with many condemning his remarks as insensitive and inappropriate.
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