Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu Criticizes President Tinubu’s Sudden U.S. Diplomacy, Calls for Regional Autonomy
By Passman Akpos
Abuja, Nigeria – Nigerian cleric and activist, Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu, has sharply criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as a “sudden show of concern” following recent statements by former U.S. President Donald J. Trump about the state of insecurity in Nigeria.
In a viral statement posted online, Unegbu accused the president of ignoring the suffering of Nigerians while now “inviting himself” to a meeting with the White House, just 48 hours after Trump’s comments on the rise of killings and terrorism in the country.
> “The president, who is usually too busy to hear the cries of the Nigerian people, suddenly has time. He has invited himself to a meeting with the White House, just 48 hours after Donald J. Trump’s posts,” Unegbu stated.
He lamented that since Tinubu assumed office, the country has been in “turmoil,” marked by widespread killings and repression of dissenting voices. Unegbu cited the recent protest led by activist Omoyele Sowore demanding the release of detained IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, during which peaceful protesters were allegedly molested, arrested, and detained by police without any response from the presidency.
> “Peaceful protesters were molested and arrested and detained by the Nigerian Police, but the same government remained silent. But just one word against terrorists and the need to stop them, and the same president trembles,” he said.
The cleric suggested that terrorism in Nigeria has become a “business” allegedly controlled by political elites and “kingmakers” who use it as a tool of influence and intimidation.
> “It looks like the same people who have the power to remove him as president are also the same people who own the terrorism business in Nigeria,” Unegbu alleged.
As a way forward, he called for a “peaceful Balkanisation” of Nigeria or a return to regional autonomy, allowing each region to govern itself independently as before the country’s colonial amalgamation by Great Britain in 1914.
> “The only solution to all this is a peaceful Balkanisation of the country so that we can go our separate ways, just as we were before the forced unification by Great Britain, or a return to regional autonomy so that each region can govern itself,” he concluded.
Unegbu’s remarks have sparked mixed reactions online, with some Nigerians expressing support for his bold stance, while others warned that his comments could inflame political and ethnic tensions in an already divided nation.
The Presidency has yet to issue an official response to the statement or to confirm reports of a planned meeting between President Tinubu and the White House.
