Pastor Tunde Bakare, Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, has claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to label Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and his comments about Christian genocide were driven by a desire to secure Nigeria’s oil and other economic interests.
Speaking during his State of the Nation Address on Sunday, Bakare said the Trump administration views Nigeria’s oil, mineral resources, real estate sector and role in emerging technologies as key to its strategic agenda. He added that these sectors form part of Trump’s wider foreign and economic policy priorities.
This was Bakare’s first public reaction since Trump redesignated Nigeria as a CPC on October 31 and later made remarks about launching an aggressive counter-terrorism response in Nigeria—comments that sparked swift pushback from the Tinubu administration.
Bakare recalled that shortly after Trump won the 2024 U.S. election, he had a vision in which the American leader landed in Sabo, Yaba, Lagos, aboard Air Force One, dressed in traditional Arabian attire and announcing, “We are here now.” He interpreted the vision as a sign of Trump’s coming interest in Nigeria, tied to Middle East politics, the oil and gas sector, real estate, and Nigeria’s growing tech industry.
“It was clear to us that President Donald Trump would take a particular interest in Nigeria,” Bakare said. “Our oil wealth, mineral resources, and role in global technology value chains will be critical to his presidency.”
He added that the symbolic attire in the vision suggested religious implications that could spark tensions if not carefully managed. “Trump appearing in Muslim clothing pointed to potential religious consequences that could fuel unrest,” he said.
Bakare described Trump as a transactional leader and urged the Federal Government to respond strategically. “Trump’s threats are often invitations to negotiate,” he said. “Nigeria should present a business proposal that supports U.S. interests while securing our own needs—security, education, industrialisation and access to advanced technologies.”
He encouraged the Tinubu administration not to wait for pressure from Washington but to initiate a mutually beneficial agreement.
Bakare also criticised the government’s handling of insecurity, warning that violence across the Middle Belt, North-West and South-East reveals long-ignored structural problems. He said Christian communities in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna and other Middle Belt states have suffered targeted attacks, which he described as a “shame on the Nigerian state.”
He faulted the National Assembly for remaining silent until the U.S. Congress held a hearing on Nigeria’s insecurity, accusing lawmakers of focusing on political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 elections. He also criticised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for failing to build diplomatic support before reacting defensively.
According to Bakare, tensions in the South-East—worsened by the continued detention of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu—show that Nigeria has not fully healed from the Civil War.
He said President Bola Tinubu now faces a critical choice between prioritising political interests before 2027 or pursuing difficult but necessary structural reforms. While acknowledging efforts to recruit more security personnel and declare targeted security emergencies, he argued that deeper reforms are essential.
Bakare proposed several measures, including a national apology, the creation of a Victims and Survivors Register, deployment of veterans and paramilitary forces, technology-driven surveillance, stronger partnerships with U.S. defence technology firms, and the establishment of state, zonal and community policing systems under federal oversight.
He said Tinubu should publicly acknowledge the government’s past failures, name affected communities, and later provide compensation. Bakare also called for a Presidential Commission for National Reconciliation, Reintegration and Restructuring, arguing that Nigeria must finally address core issues of identity, fairness, coexistence and governance.
“No nation can be built on denial,” he said. “If we truly want unity, we must face the truth.”
As part of long-term reforms, Bakare recommended empowering security structures at zonal, state and local levels, transforming the federal police into a national investigative agency, and creating Zonal Security Councils to coordinate regional responses.
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He also proposed replacing the one-year National Youth Service Corps with a two-year programme, with the first year dedicated to military training and deployment.
Bakare further called for a dual foreign-policy strategy—one focused on the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula to support the stability of northern Nigeria and the Sahel, and another strengthening Nigeria’s relationships with Western nations.
