The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Jumoke Oduwole, has said that Nigeria is not worried by the policies of the recently sworn-in President Donald Trump of the United States of America.
Oduwole stated this recently during an interview with the Washington Post at the sideline of the 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos.
According to her, Nigeria looked forward to dealings with the Trump administration and was not worried about the potential disruptions posed by his unorthodox foreign policy.
“For us, it’s Nigeria first, it’s Africa first. We see this more in terms of opportunities. We’re not afraid; we’re not panicked,” she said.
Relationship with China
With the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, Oduwole said Nigeria would not engage in any divisive bloc politics as it is open to partnerships with both “old and new friends.”
“There are many interests competing for Nigeria and for Africa’s attention,” she said, pointing to the country’s wealth in hydrocarbons and critical minerals, like lithium.
“We’ll be listening closely to what our old friends and new friends have to say, and the kinds of partnerships that are on offer,” she added.
Nigerians have concerns
Contrary to Oduwole’s confidence, some Nigerians have expressed worry over the Trump administration and the negative impacts his policies may have on Nigeria.
- For instance, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Ladipo Johnson, expressed worry that there might be a slump in the price of the global price of oil
- He noted that Trump believes in drilling and would want to drill and increase production, which could crash oil prices globally leaving a huge impact on Nigeria.
“The man has an isolationist view of the world. Trump believes that others are not equal and that Americans are superior.
“You will observe this in his utterances and the way he has been going about things. But I always say whenever any of the Western powers believe that they are better than us, it is a wake-up call to our leaders.
“This is because we have the natural resources, but we lack the leadership and managerial resources.
“Again, when you look at his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the WHO, it shows that Trump will not give much cooperation. During the Biden era, America showed some leadership in fighting COVID,” he said.
What you should know
Since his inauguration on Monday, January 20, Trump said Washington could impose tariffs on major trading partners; including Canada, Mexico and China, as soon as February 1.
- Trump has also issued executive orders that rolled back environmental regulations and pulled the United States out of the World Health Organization.
- He also directed the State Department to bring its foreign policy in line with an “America First” agenda.
- Among other things, Trump spoke on the issue of gender surgery, saying he had made it an official policy of the United States that his administration would only recognise two genders; male and female.
