By Dr. Buchi Nnaji, PhD | ENUGU

Nigeria stands today at a moral and security crossroads. The horrifying reports of mass killings, kidnappings, and unending terror attacks across the country have become both a national tragedy and an international embarrassment. When global leaders begin to voice concern - however uncomfortably, it signals that our silence and inaction have reached intolerable levels.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent warning over the killings of Christians in Nigeria has generated outrage in some quarters. Yet, behind the diplomatic noise lies a painful truth: Nigeria has failed to protect her citizens, and the world has noticed. Instead of treating Trump’s remarks as provocation, we should interpret them as a wake-up call, a reflection of how dire our security situation has become.

Let us speak plainly. The scale of violence in Nigeria is unconscionable. Entire families have disappeared in the night; rural communities have been reduced to ashes; thousands languish in captivity while government responses remain bureaucratic, hesitant, and painfully reactive. Year after year, administrations promise reform, yet the bloodshed continues. In such a moral vacuum, even the harsh words of an outsider can serve as a mirror to our national conscience.

To be clear, no Nigerian should support foreign military intervention that disregards our sovereignty. Any external action must be lawful, collaborative, and transparent. However, the principle behind Trump’s warning - that a government must protect its people or face accountability, is unassailable. When external pressure provokes internal reform, it can become a tool for justice rather than aggression. Targeted sanctions on individuals sponsoring or profiting from terror, enhanced intelligence sharing, and forensic investigations into mass killings are far more constructive paths than open confrontation.

We must also confront a troubling domestic reality: Nigeria’s insecurity appears to have become a lucrative industry. Many citizens believe, and with reason, that some political actors profit from chaos, ransom payments, and prolonged instability. If these allegations are true, they represent not just corruption but treason. The state must therefore move beyond rhetoric. President Tinubu’s administration must initiate transparent investigations, expose financial networks behind terror financing, and prosecute any public official implicated in the economy of bloodshed.

This is no time for denial or political defensiveness. The President should take Trump’s warning seriously - not because we owe any nation submission, but because our credibility is at stake. Engaging diplomatically, presenting verifiable facts, and demonstrating tangible progress in counterterrorism and justice would restore confidence both at home and abroad.

Ultimately, this is about morality, not politics. Every Nigerian life - Christian, Muslim, or otherwise, deserves protection. When a state begins to lose its monopoly on violence, it teeters on the edge of moral failure. Trump’s remarks, though controversial, remind us that sovereignty is not a shield for incompetence; it is a responsibility to act.

If Nigeria rises to this challenge with courage, transparency, and genuine reform, then this moment of embarrassment could yet become the spark that restores national dignity. The world is watching. It is time for Nigeria to prove that we can defend our people without waiting for others to remind us of our duty.

- Dr. Buchi Nnaji, PhD
Scholar, Policy Analyst, and Advocate for National Security and Good Governance