The reaction of the minister is naturally diplomatic, yet it also allows seeing a balancing act between the national pride and the necessity of the international confirmation in the international combat with the insecurity in the fight.
The exchange between the Abuja and the Washington will have mixed feelings to many of the Nigerians. On the one hand, they are embittered with the idea of a foreign power that can pose a military intervention or even to show moral superiority.
Conversely, they are aware of the fact that the truth on the ground kidnappings, attacks and rampant fear on the ground daily, makes such criticisms hard to shrug off wholesomely.
Trump might be crude and politically driven but by taking this stance he reveals an ugly reality that is becoming too hard on Nigerians who are becoming fed up with the official promises that the nation is winning the war when their personal experiences are telling them otherwise.
The disconnect between the official statements and the reality in the eyes of the people is the largest image issue in Nigeria is not what outsiders tell them, but what citizens experience on a daily basis.
However, the reaction of Nigeria to this sort of external criticism should not rest just at the defensive stage and media statements. The government would regain its ethical and political standing when it starts focusing on transparency and empathy rather than rhetoric.
Nigerians desire to have tangible benefits of safer roads, secured communities, and real accountability in the security setup. The diplomacy cannot simply be one of reversing the narratives of the West but rather a challenge to the realities that they feed on.
Should the government be serious in curbing foreign opponents such as Trump, then it must first make its citizens believe it is keen on protecting all the Nigerians, whether they are Muslims or Christians, irrespective of their religious beliefs or location.
Then and only will external commentary, however as loud as it is, lose its sting.
