By Evelyn Usman
A retired senior naval officer, Rear Admiral Dickson Olisemenogor, has condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remark describing Nigeria as a “disgraced country,” saying that although the comment was provocative, it should serve as a wake-up call for both the nation’s leaders and citizens to confront Nigeria’s deepening security and governance challenges.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, the retired naval chief—who served for more than 35 years in the Nigerian Navy—said Trump’s statement, though insulting, reflected the painful reality of Nigeria’s current state. He warned that pretending otherwise would only worsen the crisis.
Rear Admiral Olisemenogor said: “I initially wanted to ignore Trump’s outburst, but I was reminded of a wise saying by my Ukwuani elders: when somebody mocks you, don’t despair; he is only telling you that you can do better.”
“The Chinese and Japanese live by that principle; they see opportunity in every ugly situation. Trump is simply telling our leaders—and we, the followers—that we should wake up and tackle our security issues seriously.”
“He tried to provoke us by calling our country a disgraced country. There’s no need to shout back or insult him. We all know we have a serious problem, but we are pretending that we don’t. That is the way of indolent people,” he added.
Olisemenogor urged Nigerians to channel their anger into meaningful action, calling on both leaders and citizens to embrace honesty, unity, and discipline in confronting the nation’s challenges.
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