Bishop Matthew Kukah, Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, has described the US President Donald Trump’s threat of military action against Nigeria over alleged persecution of Christians as a wake-up call to the Nigerian leaders.

Trump had claimed that Christians in Nigeria are facing systematic persecution and mass killings.

Subsequently, he declared Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, threatening to take some steps, including cutting all aid and possible military intervention to “save Christians” in Nigeria.

President Bola Tinubu had rejected the claims, insisting that the country remained a democracy grounded in constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and belief.

But Trump, unconvinced, had asked the US Department of War to prepare for possible action in Nigeria, to which the military responded by drafting contingency plans for potential strikes in Nigeria.

Speaking formally on the issue for the first time, the president, shortly before the Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday said: “The most important thing is the fact that despite the political headwinds and the fear of our people, we will continue to engage with partners.

“We are engaging the world diplomatically, and we assure all of you that we will defeat terrorism in this country.

“The task ahead is immense, but it is our resolve to move forward with unity and purpose, guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda to build a prosperous, inclusive and resilient Nigeria.”

Weighing into the conversation, Kukah said it was time for Nigeria to wake-up.

Speaking at the 60th birthday ceremony of Reuben Abati and the public presentation of his three new books, on Friday in Lagos, Kukah described Trump as a symptom of disease in Nigeria.

“So, if you find us being such a chaotic, quarrelsome, angry, whatever, we are in Nigeria. We lack the culture, the institutional, and the moral instillation to establish.

“All of us are confusing Trump with a sickness. Trump is a symptom of the disease that is in our country. I think it is going to happen later; it does not matter if a snake is dead or whether or not a woman killed it.” he said.

“Whether it is Trump or whoever that has given us this jab, it is time for Nigeria to wake up.”

Kukah further lamented shortage of tourist sites and national monuments in Nigeria, noting that the situation reflects the question or national identity.

“If somebody wants to visit this country today, where will I take them to? If somebody came to Nigeria today, where would they go?”

“In other places, you can go and see where the president is, but in Nigeria, you cannot see where the president is.

“We need to reload. You reload because either you did not fire your gun, or the object moved, or something has happened.

“But you ask yourself now, who are the prominent Nigerians, the Nigerian statesmen, that their names resonate across the length and breadth of Nigeria without contradiction?” Kukah said.