With five days to go from the US presidential election, if Nigeria were a “swing state”, it appears former president Donald Trump would have started measuring new curtains for the White House by now.
DW, the German public service channel, interviewed some people in Lagos, the commercial capital of the country, and one of them, Afam Ugah, who claims Trump is his hero, said even though he can’t vote in the elections, he is supporting Trump “in spirit”, and is very confident that the former president, whom Ugah sees as his “hero”, will win the election.
Ugah has spent the equivalent of over 200 euros on Trump merchandise. One bookseller in Lagos said Trump’s books are among his bestsellers adding, if you “read the books, apply it, you will make it in life”. One has to wonder why the guy hasn’t risen above his station, selling books in a Lagos street corner. Perhaps, he hasn’t read what he sells – has not bothered to get high on his own supply of Trump books. Tony Schwarz, who co-wrote the bestseller “The Art of the Deal” with Trump, said he was full of remorse for “putting lipstick on a pig”.
Nigerians on how they view Trump, Harris policies
The report wondered why many Nigerians are attracted to a flawed man with a history of racism and who once referred to the likes of Nigeria as a “shithole”. Ugah wasn’t that bothered with his stance of “who the cap fits, let them wear it”. His “Trump 2024” cap was a perfect fit, and with the prospects of anyone making Nigeria great again being very remote, it’s hard to blame Nigerians for looking abroad for their “heroes”, even ones as flawed as Trump. Nigerian Trumpists’ affection for a man with white supremacist tendencies was attributed to Nigerians being “deeply religious” and therefore finding Trump’s “conservative” agenda appealing, especially around gay rights.
Journalist Ndidi Ogaziechi from the Independent newspaper was the only person rooting for Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris and she was perplexed by Trump having so much support in her country. But she could hardly make the case why Harris was a viable option, apart from the symbolism that a first woman president brings to the position.
