A retired senior naval officer, Rear Admiral Dickson Olisemenogor, has reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remark describing Nigeria as a disgraced country. He recently revealed that even though the comment was provocative, it should serve as a wake-up call for both the nation’s leaders and citizens.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, he urged leaders and citizens to confront the nation’s deepening security and governance challenges.
According to him, even though Trump’s comments were insulting, they reflect the painful reality of Nigeria’s current state that must be addressed quickly.
He stated that pretending like there is zero truth in what Trump said will only worsen the present crisis.
“I initially wanted to ignore Trump’s outburst, but I was reminded of a wise saying by my Ukwuani elders: when somebody mocks you, don’t despair; he is only telling you that you can do better.
The Chinese and Japanese live by that principle; they see opportunity in every ugly situation.
Trump is simply telling our leaders—and we, the followers—that we should wake up and tackle our security issues seriously,” he said.
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Dickson Olisemenogor further noted that every Nigerian knows that Nigeria can do better as a nation, so there’s no need to engage in a war of words against Trump.
He concluded by urging citizens to channel their anger into meaningful action, stressing that everyone must embrace honesty, unity and discipline to tackle the nation’s challenges.
“He tried to provoke us by calling our country a disgraced country. There’s no need to shout back or insult him.
We all know we have a serious problem, but we are pretending that we don’t. That is the way of indolent people,” he added.
