Mike Arnold, a Republican mayor of the US city of Blanco in Texas, has made fun of Nigeria for voicing resentment over US remarks regarding terrorism in the nation while simultaneously requesting financial assistance.
Speaking on Monday, during an appearance on Arise Television, he claimed that it does not make sense that Nigeria does not want his country to speak about terrorism in the country but wants their money.
“Why must a mineral-rich nation like Nigeria turn to other countries for assistance?” he asked.
“Why a country with as much mineral wealth as Nigeria has to go and beg for help to save her own people is beyond me,” he remarked.
“There are many resources available in Nigeria to assist her people in obtaining stability, if nothing else.
“Displaced people are denied stability, their homes are bulldozed with no warning. It’s horrifying.
“It doesn’t make sense to me at all that you want their money but don’t want America to come here and talk about terrorism.”
Omoyele Sowore, a human rights advocate and presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC), has asserted that the violence in Nigeria is not connected to the persecution of Christians or Muslims.
He clarified that instability and poor government, not religion, are to blame for the awful condition.
Sowore made this statement in response to fresh demands from certain American politicians that Washington designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) due to purported persecution of Christians.
In reaction to the increasing killings throughout the nation, he charged that the Nigerian government and the United States were acting hypocritically.
Such assertions, in his opinion, are deceptive and do not accurately depict the actual state of affairs in Nigeria.
“There is genocide against the poor, against Muslims, against Christians, and against children,” he stated in a statement. It is dishonest to try to categorize it by faith.
“The country doesn’t check who carries a Bible or a Koran before counting the dead,” he said, arguing that Nigeria does not identify victims by faith.
The United States was also criticized by Sowore for neglecting comparable situations in other countries.
“Why is the United States keeping quiet about Israel’s murder of Muslims in Gaza? “That is a sign of global hypocrisy,” he declared.
He emphasized that failing leadership is the true source of Nigeria’s insecurity, which transcends all geographical areas and religious beliefs.
“No one labels the government genocidal in a nation where thousands are slain every day. He continued, “Irresponsible leadership and pervasive insecurity are the issue, not religion.
Sowore reminded out that most attacks happen in the northern region of the country, impacting both Muslims and Christians.
Even mosques are attacked by gunmen in the North. 35 worshippers were just slaughtered, and the assailants were probably also Muslims, he stated.
He cautioned that placing the blame on religion simply serves to absolve Nigerian authorities of accountability.
“The United States’ claim that it wishes to defend Christians is not a solution. People would still be slain if all Christians were exterminated, he contended.
