In a candid interview on Arise TV from 2:37, Nigeria’s former minister of foreign affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi expressed dismay over the election results in the United States, stating that the outcome represents a victory for crude values over refinement and contradicts the principles the country is expected to uphold.
Akinyemi argued that America’s recent decision to vote for Donald Trump, despite the controversies and allegations surrounding him, sends a troubling message to the world and undermines the country’s historical role as a beacon of democracy and justice.
He questioned the implications of this decision for other nations, particularly those in the Global South like Nigeria, who may be fighting for democratic values and transparency in their own political systems.
Akinyemi’s statement reflects a broader concern over the impact of American politics on international perceptions and the potential consequences for global democracy and stability.
According to Bolaji Akinyemi, “What has just happened in the United States is a victory of crudity over refinement, a victory for all that United States should now stand for. It’s a victory for what the world is not expecting from a country that says it is a bright light on a shining Hill. I first went to the United States in 1962 and that America is not the America that voted for Trump yesterday so it’s just not.
You must stand for rationality. How can you vote for somebody who’s been convicted of 34 crimes? How can you vote for somebody who almost overturned an election? What message are you sending to the rest of the world? Tell me for us in Nigeria in the global South who are supposed to be fighting for democracy, for decency, for honesty what message have you sent this morning? So why should I say good morning?”