An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Jimoh Ibrahim, believes that the newly sworn-in 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, has an opportunity to have discussions with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu to increase American influence in Africa and curb China’s infiltration of the continent.
“Donald Trump has a very good opportunity to sit down with Tinubu as an African leader and understand the political engagement that we have here because China is already infiltrating Africa,” Ibrahim said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
Ibrahim, a serving senator representing Ondo South District in the 10th National Assembly, said BRICS+, a 10-member economic and political force with Chinese influence, has already approached the Nigerian leader on economic alignment and to trade in China’s currency Yuan.
The lawmaker said China has started a campaign to be an economic superpower in Africa and the US must quickly dialogue with some continental leaders to whittle China’s growing influence in the continent.
Ibrahim said, “China gave loans to many African countries to build airports, seaports and others but what is China looking for? The legitimacy of the continent.
“At the same time, China has come to Bola Tinubu to say: ‘Look, come and trade in our currency’. And Tinubu has given them the answer: ‘Increase the volume of trade, and increase my benefit before I come to you’. They go back home to think about it.
“Over time, America and China are going to look at Africa as the major desire of the geocentric political system in terms of the hegemonic leadership of the world and its acceptance.”
FILE: Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, China’s President Xi Jinping, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira posing for a family photo during the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 23, 2024. (Photo by Abdulla AL-NEYADI / UAE PRESIDENTIAL COURT / AFP)
‘Why Tinubu Won’t Have A Problem With Trump’
The APC chieftain also said Tinubu won’t have a problem getting along with Trump because he aligns with the American liberal democratic society.
He said, “Tinubu won’t have a problem at all with Donald Trump because Tinubu is a liberalist; Tinubu is not a realist. So, Tinubu falls pari-passu with the American liberal democratic society.
“As a country, Nigeria and the United States will not be in conflict at all because Nigeria is a liberal state, and America is a liberal state.
“But the ruler of Nigeria is a liberalist, and the ruler of America is a realist. This is where the issues are: Tinubu believes in cooperation and collaboration to solve problems…but Donald Trump is not in that arrangement. You can’t fight Russia, fight Britain and leave Africa. No, you have to settle with one or two of these.”
In January 2025, Nigeria accepted an invitation to join BRICS+ as a partner country.
BRICS, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa was created in 2006 as a bloc which brings together the world’s most developing economies to challenge the political and economic power of the wealthier nations of North America and Western Europe.
The bloc, now known as BRICS+, later admitted five new members, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. BRICS+ accounts for about 37% of the world’s GDP.
