By Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai (Rtd), former Chief of Army Staff and Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin
The current confrontation between the United States and Nigeria, ignited by the spectre of foreign military intervention, represents a perilous crossroads. This is a moment charged with the danger of catastrophic miscalculation, yet it also holds the potential for a more resilient and mutually advantageous alliance. The “Christian genocide” narrative is a dangerously reductive distortion of Nigeria’s intricate realities. For the United States, acting on this fallacy would be a profound strategic blunder; for Nigeria, it constitutes an existential menace. To retreat from this brink, both nations must transcend immediate political posturing and acknowledge their fundamental, aligned interests in lasting stability and shared economic advancement.
For the United States, a coercive, militaristic approach is a blueprint for strategic defeat. Public ultimatums and intimidation directed at a sovereign nation of Nigeria’s stature—Africa’s largest economy and most populous democracy—weaken, not strengthen, American credibility. This stance forcibly unites a diverse Nigeria against a common external aggressor, framing the US as a neo-colonial power instead of a trusted ally. It actively propels a nation of over 200 million people—and potentially the entire Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)—deeper into the strategic embrace of rivals like China and Russia, who stand ready to exploit an American retreat. The objective of safeguarding religious liberty, however principled, will never be achieved by triggering a national collapse. A destabilized Nigeria would unleash a maelstrom of instability across West Africa, intensifying the very security and migration challenges the US aims to contain.
The wiser, more sustainable course for the US is an unequivocal pivot from public coercion to resolute, private collaboration. This demands an immediate de-escalation of rhetoric and the replacement of threats with concrete offers of advanced intelligence collaboration, specialized counter-insurgency training, and security aid precisely calibrated to Nigeria’s unique threats in the Middle Belt and North-East. Policy must be grounded in verified data, not inflammatory fiction, facilitated by bipartisan congressional visits to witness the conflict’s complex dynamics firsthand. Crucially, the US must recognize that Nigeria’s economic vision, embodied by the transformative Dangote Refinery, represents a monumental opportunity, not a threat. By initiating high-level strategic engagement and positioning American enterprise as the primary partner in this burgeoning energy sector, the US can secure its interests through synergy, not sanctions. A stable, prosperous Nigeria is an infinitely more valuable ally than a fractured, dependent state.
For Nigeria, this crisis is a piercing alarm bell highlighting the dangers of diplomatic smugness. The government’s strategic silence in the face of a corrosive global narrative has become a critical national security liability. Nigeria’s rejoinder can not rest on indignant denials; it must be a swift, sophisticated, and assertive campaign to reclaim its narrative. This requires an immediate diplomatic surge: enlisting world-class international firms to advocate effectively in Washington, immediately deploying ambassadors to key capitals as a national priority, and dispatching high-level delegations of esteemed Christian and Muslim leaders to directly dismantle the genocide falsehood before US decision-makers.
Nigeria’s communication must be unyielding on sovereignty yet strategically diplomatic, avoiding an unproductive public feud. The focus must be on recasting the crisis as a unified struggle against terrorism and banditry afflicting all citizens and on amplifying the authoritative voices of prominent Nigerian Christian leaders who explicitly contradict the imported narrative.
Most critically, this is a definitive moment for national solidarity. The threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and corporate existence demands that every citizen, Muslim and Christian alike, rally with unwavering unity behind the government. We must present an impregnable front against external interference. Our ultimate argument, however, will be demonstrable progress. Accelerating comprehensive security overhauls to show concrete outcomes and doing everything necessary to guarantee the triumph of economic self-sufficiency ventures like the Dangote Refinery are our most potent shields. A nation that demonstrably conquers its own challenges and stands united against internal schisms offers no justification for foreign intrusion.
The path forward is unequivocal. The United States must recognize that genuine partnership, not heavy-handed pressure, is the sole means to positively influence Nigeria and secure its own long-term interests in a stable and prosperous Africa. Nigeria must awaken to the reality that its sovereignty in an interconnected world hinges on a dynamic, articulate foreign policy that projects its multifaceted truth. This stalemate need not be a zero-sum contest. By choosing earnest dialogue over public diatribes and committed collaboration over destructive confrontation, both nations can forge this crisis into the cornerstone of a more robust, respectful, and productive relationship. The alternative—a descent into mutual suspicion and escalation—serves no one and jeopardizes everything.
