By Muhammed Akindele
Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission (SEDC), Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), has backed the United States President Donald Trump over his recent comments on killings in Nigeria, saying the American leader “told the truth.”
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, Kalu said Trump’s statement on targeted attacks in Nigeria reflected reality, as both Christians and Muslims have been victims of violent killings across the country.
“If it’s a lie, then the answer is that it’s not a lie because he said the truth. Nigerians are being killed, whether they are Christians or Muslims,” Kalu said.
“There are jihadists who just want to destroy Nigeria. We should blacklist them without pity so that they will be smoked out.”
The former Abia State governor disclosed that he had personally discussed Nigeria’s security situation with two former U.S. Presidents—one Republican and one Democrat—as well as six serving U.S. Senators, who all expressed willingness to help Nigeria combat terrorism.
According to him, before Trump made his comments, the U.S. intelligence community would have verified the presence and operations of terrorists in Nigeria.
“You can see that the Nigerian Air Force is already acting, possibly using information shared by the U.S. to bomb terrorist hideouts. That’s how it should be,” he added.
Kalu, who described himself as “pro-America,” blamed the current global instability on the U.S.-led invasions of Libya and Iraq, which led to the collapse of those regimes and the spread of arms across Africa.
“When you killed Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein, it became a problem because those people were maintaining their borders. After their deaths, light and heavy arms spilled all over the world, and we are suffering from it today.”
He dismissed speculation that the United States was targeting President Bola Tinubu’s administration, insisting that Washington’s focus was on jihadist elements destabilizing Nigeria.
“Nigerians are clapping and political opponents think the U.S. is after Tinubu’s government. No! They are going after the jihadists,” he said.
