Commercial opportunities: For Trump not to invite Nigeria is leadership failure, Atiku mocks Tinubu
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the failure of Nigeria not to get invite from the US President Donald Trump to White House to discuss commercial opportunities was on account of the failure of leadership on the part of President Bola Tinubu.
Atiku slammed Tinubu over the exclusion of Nigeria from four West African countries invited by President Trump to explore commercial opportunities.
He also accused Tinubu of lowering the esteem of the nation since his advent.
Atiku in a statement on Thursday particularly noted the decrease in ECOWAS membership under Tinubu’s chairmanship of the regional body from 15 to 12 was a disaster.
President Donald Trump will host five African leaders at the White House to discuss commercial opportunities. Out of the five, four are from West Africa with Nigeria, once the regional power and economic player excluded.
The invited nations are Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal.
While noting the depreciation of Nigeria’s economic prowess under the APC administrations, Atiku said the snub from Trump was essentially because of what he traced to Tinubu
“This exclusion by the Trump administration is not a diplomatic oversight. It is not a scheduling error. It is a verdict — scathing in symbolism and staggering in implication. A verdict on Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chaotic presidency, his divisive chairmanship of ECOWAS, and the complete evaporation of Nigeria’s diplomatic relevance.
“How do we explain it? Tinubu inherited an ECOWAS of 15 member states and left it gasping for breath with three countries pulling out and 40% of its land mass gone. Once Africa’s diplomatic compass — the nation that gave weight to regional consensus and global negotiations — Nigeria has now become an afterthought. Ignored. Sidelined. Stripped of influence. While others are summoned to negotiate Africa’s future, Nigeria is not even in the room.
“And while our Foreign Direct Investment has plunged to historic lows, Tinubu’s men lounge in St. Lucia, sipping champagne in the face of national decline. South Africa is negotiating trade frameworks with Washington. Nigeria is invisible.
“And let’s now kill the lie that’s been allowed to linger for too long: Gilbert Chagoury is not a Trump ally. He does not hold the keys to the White House. He has no diplomatic leverage in the Trump administration, having been listed as one of the major donors to the Clinton foundation.
“The illusion of his influence has collapsed under the weight of reality. Nigeria wagered its international standing on a mirage — and lost.
“As chair of ECOWAS, Tinubu did not build bridges; he burnt them. His erratic, self-serving approach fractured regional cooperation, turning Nigeria into a polarizing force rather than a rallying point.
“From Giant of Africa to diplomatic ghost — Tinubu has finished the job. He has squandered our legacy, diluted our stature, and silenced our voice on the world stage.
“This isn’t just an embarrassment. It is a disgrace — a resounding declaration that Nigeria, under this administration, has lost its way.
“But let it be known: we will not mourn in silence. We will not be complicit in our own erasure.
“Well, we are glad that the coalition through the ADC is here to rescue Nigeria from these urban bandits. The damage is deep — but so is our resolve. And the mission to reclaim Nigeria’s honour has already begun,” Atiku said in blaming Tinubu for the snub given to Nigeria by President Trump.”
