Avoid confrontation with Trump, there is nothing a bully likes better than taking on people who are not strong enough to resist him – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bolaji Akinyemi tells President Tinubu

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bolaji Akinyemi, has advised President Bola Tinubu to avoid confrontation with the newly inaugurated U.S. President, Donald Trump. Akinyemi criticized Trump’s inaugural speech as uninspiring and aggressive, highlighting threats of hostile policies such as reclaiming the Panama Canal and engaging in tariff wars.

He warned that Trump’s approach could lead to global repercussions, predicting a turbulent four years. Akinyemi also noted that Nigeria is unlikely to be a focus of Trump’s administration and should temper expectations of significant engagement from the U.S. during his tenure.

He said; “If I were President Tinubu, I would try to steer clear of antagonising him because there is nothing a bully likes better than taking on people who are not strong enough to resist him. You know there is that African proverb that if you are not strong enough to take on a bully and you take him on, you are just even going to suffer more for it.

That’s the advice I will give President Tinubu: try and avoid having a confrontation with him even if that means that he does things that annoy or does things that step on the interests of Nigeria. There are ways in which you could address his reaction without confrontation,” he said.