By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A section of Nigerian-Americans has congratulated former President Donald Trump on his election victory, expressing optimism that his second term would strengthen bilateral relations between Nigeria and the United States.

It is worth noting that a Nigerian with American citizenship and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinmma, had previously expressed support for the Republican presidential candidate in the November 5 elections.

Though a member of the Democratic Party, Agbonayinmma, popularly known as EJ, had argued that Republican U.S. presidents showed more concern for Nigeria than their Democratic counterparts.

Speaking to Vanguard after Trump was declared the winner of the fiercely contested election, EJ emphasized that during the administration of Barack Obama, the U.S. had refused to sell arms to Nigeria to combat insurgency and terrorism. He added that it was Donald Trump, a Republican president, who had addressed the situation.

When asked about his preferred candidate for the election, Agbonayinmma said, “As a compassionate conservative and also as a Democrat, when I see things going wrong, I should be able to state my position. To be straightforward about it, I think Donald J. Trump will do far better than what we expect from our sister Kamala Harris. I’ve been a Democrat for all these years, and I understand both the Democrat and Republican perspectives.”

He continued, “There are certain things that the Democrats continue to do, like treating us as though we have no mind of our own, as if we cannot see beyond darkness or light. I don’t want to be sentimental or partisan, but the truth must be told: Kamala Harris doesn’t have what it takes to lead America. Yes, she’s been Attorney General, a Senator, and Vice President to Biden, but in all these years, they have not considered Nigeria important enough. Joe Biden has not even stepped foot into Nigeria.”

He further explained that many Africans, especially Nigerian-Americans, worked hard to ensure Obama became president, but he ultimately refused to approve the sale of arms to Nigeria during the country’s struggle against Boko Haram.