“In the course of some 200 years, the presidency of the United   States has become the most powerful office in the world”.

“The duties and responsibilities of the office are immense. Unlike   many of the democratic government of Europe and elsewhere that have   both a Chief of State and a head of government, the U.S system of   government has only one Chief executive, the president”.

“The holder of that office serves not only as head of government but   also in the primarily ceremonial post of Chief of State. As Chief of   State, the president performs many of the public and ceremonial duties   undertaken by the king or queen of the United Kingdom, other monarchs,   and the governor-general of Canada and other Commonwealth nations”.

“Although some of the duties the President performs as chief of state   may seem trivial, the role helps the occupant of the office maintain   contact with the overall populace. As head of government, the   President is the Chief executive of the nation, the director of the   government. In addition the president serves as commander in chief of   the armed forces of the United States and the voice of the American   people.”

According to presidential scholar Clinton Rossiter, the presidency is   a one-person job. The person “who holds it can never escape making   the final decision in each of many areas in which the American people   and their constitution hold “him or her responsible.” A sign on   the presidential desk of Harry S.

Truman, the nation’s chief   executive from April 1945 to January 1953, said it perfectly: “The   buck stops here.” According to Rossiter, “that in the end, is the   essence of the presidency. It is the one office in all of the land   whose occupant is forbidden to pass the buck.” _(THE NEW WEBSTER’S   DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE , INTERNATIONAL EDITION, LEXICON   PUBLICATIONS, INC, 2004).

The above citations from a global authority shows how significant the   office of the United States President  is.

Perjoratively and indeed factually, it is stated that “when America   coughs, the rest of the World catches cold.”

America in World’s politics is known by virtually two thirds of the   global community as a BIG BROTHER.  The USA is also called UNCLE SAM   by most less developed segments of the international community because   a lot of funding supports are required to be donated yearly by the   American government towards the building of democratic institutions in   most so called Third World countries. Even such developed Western   society like United Kingdom, strengthening economic ties with the   United States of America is vital.

This is the reason that informed the decision by the British Premier   Mrs. Theresa May to accept and indeed gladly honored her invitation to   the White House in Washington DC which made her the first leader of   the free World to visit the new US President after his January 20th   inauguration as the 45th President of the USA.

It is therefore imperative to understand the position of Africa and   Nigeria in the eyes of President Donald Trump of America. If developed   Western allies of the USA in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization   are keen to get reassurance of solidarity of President Trump how much   more will a continent in perpetual want of foreign assistance like   Africa not want to become friendlier to the US administration now.

And so the brief question we set out to tackle in this piece is the   place of Nigeria and Africa in the context of the Donald Trump’s   presidency.

The apprehension of an African who resides in Africa should rise   considerably after going through this speech by the United States of   America’s president to the congress which is his first major parley   with the joint session of the US Congress.

If the saying by the typical philosophers hold true that “first   impression of anything matters a lot”, it therefore follows that the   lack of any detailed mention of Africa and Nigeria by President Trump   in his first ever major policy speech to the US congress shows how   degraded he holds the black continent. In that speech Africa or indeed   Nigeria were conspicuously missing but in much of his explanations of   his foreign policy direction for instance, President Trump sounded a   note of warning to Africans that his administration will basically   focus on making America great again.

His words: “Our foreign policy calls for a direct, robust and   meaningful engagement with the world. It is American leadership based   on vital security interests that we share with our allies across the   globe.”      “We will respect historic institutions, but we will also respect the   sovereign rights of nations.”

“Free nations are the best vehicle for expressing the will of the   people — and America respects the right of all nations to chart   their own path. My job is not to represent the world. My job is to   represent the United States of America. But we know that America is   better off, when there is less conflict — not more.”

“We must learn from the mistakes of the past — we have seen the   war and destruction that have raged across our world.”

“The only long-term solution for these humanitarian disasters is to   create the conditions where displaced persons can safely return home   and begin the long process of rebuilding.”

“America is willing to find new friends, and to forge new   partnerships, where shared interests align. We want harmony and   stability, not war and conflict.”

“We want peace, wherever peace can be found. America is friends   today with former enemies. Some of our closest allies, decades ago,   fought on the opposite side of these World Wars. This history should   give us all faith in the possibilities for a better world.”   (_www.edition.cnn.com [1] )

The President of the United States has not hidden his intention   however to fix the broken down black societies within the fore walls   of the United States of America.

He has already gone ahead to nominate Dr. Benjamin Carson, the   renowned Professor of Neurosurgery, plastic surgery, Oncology and   Pediatrics, as his Secretary for Urban Housing with emphasis on   delivering better shelters for black Americans and other low income   earning Americans and to reduce urban violent crime.

Dr. Ben Carson may be a renowned neurosurgeon and humanitarian now,   but growing up he never had it easy.

“Abandonment by his father, the turbulence of life in inner cities   of Detroit, being called stupid at school and a violent temper, in   every respect, Ben’s tough circumstances seemed only to point to a   harsher future and a bad end. But that’s not what happened_(SEE DR.   BEN CARSON’S BOOK: “YOU HAVE A BRIAN: A TEEN’S GUIDE TO   T.H.I.N.K.I.N.G B.I.G”).

So as he has made a good choice of his ex-presidential primary rival   Dr. Ben Carson to tackle the essential poverty that afflicts African-   American society, it is yet to be known what particular humanitarian   focus his government would give to the typical Africa’s problems of   perennial poverty, political corruption and instability, Radical   Islamic terrorism and growing rate of irregular migrations by Africans   caused by the collapsed economies in Africa and growing warfare.

Although Nigerians forms a significant portion of the Black American   communities which implies that policies churned out by President Trump   that positively impacts their lives it follows therefore that  Nigeria   will benefit indirectly.

Nigeria receives huge funds coming from the vibrant Nigerian- American   community annually but on the aggregate, it is unknown what particular   policy focus towards Africa does Trump possess that could improve   Africa and Nigeria.

What would be the area of strategic engagement for the Donald   Trump’s administration as it relates to Africa?

Africa is resource rich, no doubt, but the existential problems   weighing down the African continent such as poverty, corruption,   capital flights,  and political instability must be tackled and   confronted with greater effort so as to reduce the growing appetite by   Africans to migrate to the western world to search for greener   pastures.

The Donald Trump’s presidency must look at ways and means of   compelling African nations to inculcate the culture of genuine   Constitutional democracy and the advancement and consolidation of   institutions that would guarantee fairness, equality, equity,   transparency and accountability in Africa.

President Trump should be encouraged to maintain economic policies   that would boost trades between our continent, our country Nigeria and   the United States of America.

Nigeria has a devastating affliction of Islamic terrorism in the North   East of Nigeria and the rampaging Fulani terrorists invading different   Southern communities and so President Trump should help the millions   of Nigerians in the line of fire of these centripetal and centrifugal   forces tearing apart Nigeria not to carry through their mass slaughter   agenda of conquer and occupy.

Nigeria is a divided country where certain component parts are treated   with the short end of the stick. For instance the Igbo being a   significant portion of Nigeria has being treated unfairly by President   Muhammadu Buhari.

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Army and police to crush   civilian protesters in the Igbo speaking Southeast of Nigeria who were   canvassing self-determination.

Since one year now Mr. Nnamdi Kanu who founded the Indigenous peoples   of Biafra has remained incarcerated and his constitutional and legal   rights denied him.

Over 200 civilian protesters were killed by soldiers in the South East   of Nigeria which was even reported by Amnesty International in it’s   current World human rights reports.

In the North the Christian tribes of Southern Kaduna have been   attacked and killed in their hundreds by armed Fulani terrorists but   President Muhammadu Buhari has done nothing and critics say he is   unwilling to stop the attacks because his kinsmen are involved.

In the North even Moslems of Shiites Islamic Movement have suffered   extralegal killings by armed forces. Over 26,000 Nigerians have died   from attacks by Islamic terror group of boko Haram.

Looking at all of these violent trajectories, it is therefore   frightening to know that President Trump hasn’t yet figured out how to   be of positive influence in the troubled black continent and the ever   troubled and unstable Nigerian society.

We won’t give up hope but will keep speaking out so the US   administration can package and deliver significant development   projects and programmes that could benefit Nigeria cum Africa.

Written by Emmanuel Onwubiko the National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria