Former Senior Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has cautioned the United States government against making inflammatory statements or threats toward Nigeria.

He warned that such actions could have far-reaching consequences for both countries.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Friday, Baba-Ahmed expressed shock that US President Donald Trump would make such remarks against Nigeria, describing them as “unnecessary and dangerous.”

He said he expected that Trump’s advisers would have cautioned him to avoid issuing threats without verifying the intelligence or seeking diplomatic engagement first.

He warned that any escalation of tension between both nations could worsen Nigeria’s fragile situation and have global repercussions.

Baba-Ahmed urged the US to strengthen its long-standing friendship with Nigeria and explore areas of cooperation rather than confrontation.

He said: “I’m shocked that even a president as unpredictable as unconventional as Trump would contemplate those utterances he made, the threat he has made against a country like Nigeria.

“You would have thought that people would have said to him, be careful. This is not the kind of position we need to adopt against a country like we need to check the intelligence we have.

“We need to be careful the kind of utterances and threats we issue, and perhaps we need some kind of engagement first before we come really hard on the leadership, which is very weak in a country which is already on its knees. If America succeeds in creating the worst situation in Nigeria, everybody will pay the price.

“This is a very delicate situation, and the worst thing we want is the falling out with America. We’ve been friends, we’re allies. We’ve come a long way with each other. We’ve never had a quarrel between us. This is the time when the US should stand by Nigeria, ask us what we can do so that it can help.”