Nigerians worry about Trump presidency

By Ajibola Amzat

Nigerians are wringing their hands over the possibility of a Donald Trump victory. On Facebook and Twitter, they are expressing fears that Trump’s immigration policy would hurt African immigrants in the United States, of which Nigerians constitute the largest population.

Last year, the over 200,000 Nigerians in U.S. sent home $5.7 billion, more than any other Nigerians living abroad.

Last week, Nigeria’s Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka said in a widely shared story in The Guardian that he would destroy his green card if Trump became president. He made this comments during a talk session with students at Oxford University.

Professor Ralph Akinterinwa, a renowned scholar of international affairs and former head of the government-funded Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, said there would never be peace if Trump is elected President. He also endorsed Hillary Clinton. “If you are given an option to choose between two bad evils, logic and common sense will require you to choose the lesser evil,” he said in an interview with the Vanguard newspaper.

On Election Day, many Nigerians cheered on Clinton.

Last Sunday, a Nigerian popular cleric Joshua predicted Hillary win. He told churchgoers: “Ten days ago, I saw the new President ofAmerica with a narrow win… In order not to keep you in suspense, what I frankly saw is a woman.”