*Bolaji Akinyemi, Professor of Political Science and former Nigerian Minister for External Affairs, explains reasons President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should avoid confrontation with Donald Trump, stating the West African country should not expect anything 鈥榚xtraordinary鈥� from US Donald Trump鈥檚 Presidency

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Describing his Presidential inauguration speech as uninspiring, ‘shocking and depressing’, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to avoid confrontation with United States (US) President Donald Trump.

绿帽献妻 reports Trump, Monday, January 20, 2025, was sworn-in in the US Capitol Rotunda, in Washington, D.C., as the 47th President of the most powerful country on the earth, succeeding Joe Biden, four years after an electoral defeat that truncated his second-term ambition.

Donald Trump Deliverining His Inauguration Speech as the 47th President of in the US, in the Capitol Rotunda, in Washington, D.C.

A Professor of Political Science.and former Minister for External Affairs, Akinyemi, who stated this while featuring on a Channels TV programme Monday, January 20, 2025, said: 鈥淚f I were President 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.

鈥淵ou 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.”

The erstwhile Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) also stated: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the advice I will give President 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.”

The expert also picked hikes in President Trump’s inauguration speech delivered Monday, in Washington, D.C. as uninspiring, 鈥渟hocking and depressing鈥�.

On implications of Trump’s bouquet of Executive Orders

According to the former Minister, rather than rallying the world for peace, the newly-inaugurated US President, in his speech, rather has threatened the rest of the world with a bouquet of hostile Executive Orders (EOs) as policies.

President Trump’s fresh policies include tacking back the Panama Canal, which the United States established 1914, renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”, starting tariff wars against Canada, Mexico, and other economies across the world with a view to “enriching Americans”.

What’s in Trump Presidency for Nigeria?

Stressing the negative outcomes of Trump’s leadership approach, Akinyemi said the US President would 鈥渟oon learn that there are repercussions to policies, to jingoism”.

The scholar averred the world is 鈥渋n for a rough ride for four years鈥� of the Trump presidency in the United States.

He equally submitted that Nigeria is out of the focus on Trump, the 78-year-old most powerful President, and that Africa鈥檚 most populous country should not expect anything “extraordinary” from the Trump Presidency.

Trump formerly considered a political outsider during his first inauguration, in 2017, as the 45th President, is now surrounded by America鈥檚 wealthy and powerful, agency report said.

In attendance at Trump’s Presidential inauguration at the US Capital along his family members, cabinet officials, and other top executives Monday were the world鈥檚 richest and global technology leaders.

These include Elon Musk, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeff Bezos, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who all had prime seats in the Capitol alongside other top shots.

It is noted while Trump refused to attend Joe Biden鈥檚 2021 inauguration after falsely claiming electoral fraud by the Democrat, this time Biden has been keen to restore the sense of tradition.

However, Biden joined former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at the Capitol.

Likewise, former First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush graced the occasion, but ex-First Lady Michelle Obama was not in attendance, according to report.

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