By Sonnie Ekwowusi
It was H.G. Wells who said in 1901, “If the universe is non-ethical by our present standards, we must reconsider those standards and reconsider our ethics.” Implicit in Wells’ proposition is the idea that our common humanitarianism must be the starting point as we learn to live with multiple perceptions of truth in the pursuit of human progress. Common humanity demands that whatever detracts from human well-being must be questioned, regardless of its effects on economic growth, political power, or the stability of certain orders. Our first responsibility to our children is to ensure that they have a future by avoiding catastrophic policies that could jeopardize their well-being.
As President Donald Trump returns to the prestigious and powerful office of the White House for the second time, the logical questions arise: What will Trump’s second term look like? What does it hold for global politics? Should Trump restore the fundamental principles embedded in the words of the Declaration of American Independence (1776)—the bedrock of American democratic tradition? Amid increasing terrorism, armed conflicts, bombings, wars, and humanitarian crises ravaging different parts of the world—especially the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both of which threaten international peace—what common values should Trump embrace to help build a new international order where justice, service, peace, respect for human dignity, the intrinsic worth of the human person, and mutual understanding reign?
Closer to home, how will Africa, particularly Nigeria, fare under Trump’s second presidency? Considering that the United States wields substantial influence worldwide, President Trump should seek to foster a new international order where justice, service, peace, and respect for human dignity take precedence. He should champion an ethic of human solidarity that advances human flourishing and protects the weak.
Understandably, both in his first term and now in his second term, President Trump has focused on “making America great again.” No fair-minded person should begrudge him that. However, while striving to make America great again, he must ensure that his actions do not jeopardize the opportunities available to other nations to pursue growth, stability, and order. We have a collective responsibility to safeguard the future of our children and descendants, ensuring they have the chance to live fully and push forward the frontiers of knowledge and culture for the benefit of humankind.
Shortly after his inauguration—which was graced by foreign dignitaries, members of the diplomatic corps, the crème de la crème of the global elite, and powerful world leaders such as President Javier Milei of Argentina, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and China’s Vice President Han Zheng (representing President Xi Jinping)—tech moguls like Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez, and Mark Zuckerberg were also in attendance. However, curiously, no African leader was present at the inauguration. It remains unclear whether they were not invited or whether they were invited and declined the invitation.
In keeping with his campaign promises, President Trump wasted no time in rolling out a flurry of executive orders, which included:
The mass deportation of illegal immigrants in the United States
Reinstating service members dismissed for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine
Declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border
Withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement
Halting federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs
Restricting federal recognition to two sexes: male and female
Prohibiting transgender women from participating in women’s sports
Reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which halts federal funding for abortion services
Declaring a national energy emergency
Reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy
In executing these executive orders, the Trump administration should be mindful of both the positive and negative impacts of its policies. First, these executive orders must adhere to constitutional principles, legal frameworks, and the rule of law. They should avoid executive overreach. Any order that contradicts laws passed by the U.S. Congress or violates constitutional rights is likely to be blocked or overturned by the courts. Additionally, these policies must not infringe on personal liberty, dignity, or privacy, as enshrined in the American Constitution.
President Trump’s mass deportation order is currently mired in controversy. Many immigrants living in the United States allege that they are facing threats and intimidation. Fear now dominates their daily lives, forcing many into hiding to avoid arrest and deportation. Granted, the United States has the right to deport criminals and undocumented immigrants from its territory. Former President Obama deported thousands of illegal immigrants, and former President Biden did the same. In fact, approximately 1.4 million illegal immigrants who were slated for deportation during the Biden administration remain in the U.S. for reasons that are not entirely clear. Thus, the deportation of illegal immigrants is legally justified under U.S. law.
However, such deportations should be handled lawfully, fairly, and humanely. The manner in which Trump’s deportation order is being enforced has raised ethical and legal concerns. Brazil and Colombia, in particular, have expressed outrage over the treatment of their deported citizens, many of whom were shackled and handcuffed during deportation. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has openly criticized Trump for the alleged mistreatment of Colombian migrants. In response, Trump threatened tariffs on Colombian goods, leading to escalating tensions between the two nations. However, the Trump administration later backtracked on its threats after the Colombian government accepted certain conditions for the deportation. While the United States is justified in deporting criminals and undocumented immigrants, such actions should be carried out with dignity and respect for human rights.
African immigrants in the United States have also voiced their distress over Trump’s deportation policies. Mauritania tops the list with 3,822 deportees, followed by Nigeria with 3,690 deportees. At the time of this writing thousands of undocumented Nigerians in the U.S. were reportedly living in perpetual fear of deportation. Many had stopped going to work, church, shopping malls, or other public places for fear of being arrested and deported. In protest, Nigerians in Philadelphia boycotted their jobs a few days ago. Meanwhile, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Removal Operations indicate that approximately 3,690 undocumented Nigerians face imminent deportation from the United States.
Therefore, the Trump administration is urged to give its deportation policy a humane face. We are all members of the same human family, and no one should be treated as a slave. Trump’s deportation orders should be carried out within the purview of the law. They should not be used to settle old scores, nor should they serve as a weapon of oppression or dictatorship. Deportation efforts should prioritize individuals involved in serious crimes rather than those contributing positively to American society. Special care should be given to children, asylum seekers, and individuals who may face persecution or danger in their home countries. Detainees should be treated with dignity and should not be subjected to inhumane detention conditions. Additionally, deportation policies should consider the impact on families, especially children who may be U.S. citizens.
However, beyond lamenting Trump’s hardened deportation policies targeting Nigerians and other Africans in the United States, these deportations should serve as a wake-up call for African leaders to address the poor governance, economic hardship, insecurity, and lack of job opportunities that force their citizens to flee their home countries in search of so-called greener pastures abroad. Instead of indulging in official corruption and amassing material wealth, African leaders should focus on job creation, quality education, and infrastructure development to reduce mass migration.
Recent U.S. Census data and statistics confirm that, in terms of educational achievement and professional success, Nigerians rank among the top immigrant groups in the United States. Nigerians in the U.S. are known for their entrepreneurial spirit, with many starting successful businesses. They are also among the most educated immigrant groups in America—over 60% of Nigerian-Americans hold at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to about 33% of the overall U.S. population. Nigerians excel despite challenges, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in their respective fields. If Nigeria were a more livable country, these highly skilled Nigerians, now facing humiliating deportation from the U.S., would have remained in Nigeria to thrive and contribute to various areas of national development.
A Nigerian journalist aptly summed up the issue, saying: “If everyone were asked to return to their countries, we would have no choice but to comply. It is their land. But if Nigeria were a better place, no one would have left Nigeria in the first place.”
Beyond Trump’s rigid deportation policies, he has signed other executive orders that align with the universal moral perspectives of many people. For example, President Trump has issued a sweeping executive order recognizing only two sexes—male and female—and directing federal agencies to cease promoting the concept of gender transition. This order is indeed significant. It is part of Trump’s broader campaign promise to rid America of what he calls “transgender insanity” and to reverse diversity and inclusion initiatives implemented by the Biden administration.
The executive order pledges to defend women from “gender ideology” and restore traditional biological and spiritual truths that recognize only two sexes—male and female. Trump has stated that, henceforth, the only term that should be used in the United States is “sex” rather than “gender,” a term associated with LGBTQ+ identities and same-sex marriage.
Under the Obama-Biden administration, female students who identified as male were allowed to compete in sports alongside their male counterparts, contrary to the constitutional right to privacy enshrined in the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, any male or female student could use the bathroom or locker room of their choice, regardless of their biological sex or the gender listed on their educational records and identity documents. Consequently, male students who identified as female were allowed to enter female restrooms and shower alongside girls, while female students who identified as male could do the same in male restrooms.
Now, President Trump has issued an executive order declaring that there are only two genders—male and female—in the United States. This order defines sex based on biological anatomy and halts federal recognition of gender identities beyond male and female. Trump has also revoked the Obama-Biden bathroom directive and prohibited the practice of flying rainbow “pride” flags at U.S. embassies abroad.
Under former President Biden, American taxpayers were forced to fund abortion, regardless of their conscientious objections. However, President Trump has now issued an executive order reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which blocks the use of American taxpayer money to fund abortions both in the U.S. and overseas, including in Nigeria and other African countries.
Commendably, President Trump has also shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). For decades, USAID has been functioning in Africa as a criminal organization. USAID has provided foreign aid to African countries, including Nigeria, to promote the legalization of abortion, sterilization, and population control.
Some Nigerians have reached to me almost regretting Trump’s stoppage of US funding coming to Nigeria for the so-called family planning and HIV Education and so forth.
I am very glad that President Trump has stopped the funding coming to Nigeria for so-called health issues. It is unfortunate that amid the collapse of the country’s primary healthcare system, the Federal Government, in partnership with some United Nations, U.S agencies and foreign institutions, is spending vast amounts of money every year on the procurement of contraceptive commodities (including hormonal and injectable contraceptives) in public health centers across Nigeria. This is seemingly aimed at reducing the country’s manpower. Shockingly, at a time when ordinary Nigerians are deprived of basic primary healthcare, the World Health Organization (WHO) is funding the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja to issue and enforce the Guidelines on Self-Care for Sexual, Reproductive, and Maternal Health 2020 and the National Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy in violation of Nigerian laws.
Therefore, the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja is in dire need of reform. We need a properly focused Ministry of Health that is committed to tackling the real health challenges affecting Nigerians, not one that appears to undermine the country’s human capital. To that end, the Reproductive Health Division of the Federal Ministry of Health should be scrapped. The National Contraceptive Logistics Management System (CLMS), adopted by Nigeria in 1995 without input from stakeholders, should also be scrapped. Similarly, the Guidelines on Self-Care for Sexual, Reproductive, and Maternal Health 2020 and the National Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy issued and enforced by the Federal Ministry of Health should be repealed.
Defunding U. S. agencies decapitating human capital in Africa and Nigeria serves as a wake-up call for African countries to abandon their reliance on foreign aid. Foreign aid is tantamount to foreign slavery. It is not the solution to Africa’s myriad socioeconomic and political problems but rather part of the problem. Why haven’t African leaders realized that the billions of dollars given to many African countries by Western development partners have failed to produce significant developmental progress? As a result, many aid-dependent African countries are poorer today than they were half a century ago.
Foreign aid often comes with numerous conditions. For example, the Samoa Agreement, which was recently signed by Nigeria and other African countries as a supposed post-Cotonou trade agreement, contains provisions related to LGBT rights and abortion. Why should an agreement focused on trade include clauses about LGBT rights and abortion?
Therefore, African countries must unite and summon the political will to reject foreign assistance that comes with a host of conditions—just as they once resisted slave traders during the transatlantic slave trade. There is a well-known adage: “Not everything that glitters is gold.” Africans should carefully scrutinize gifts, donations, and aid from the United Nations, the United States, and other foreign organizations to determine whether they are truly beneficial or come with hidden conditions.
President Trump has withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). This is also a welcome development. Formally founded on April 7, 1948, under the United Nations to promote international healthcare and improve access to essential medicines and health products worldwide, the WHO has enjoyed decades of success and global recognition.
Unfortunately, however, the WHO has become influenced by a narrow Western ideological perspective, prioritizing the funding and promotion of controversial issues such as vaccines allegedly causing infertility, LGBT rights, abortion, population control, teen sexual rights, teen masturbation, and transgender rights in Nigeria and other African countries. To achieve these objectives, the WHO receives significant funding from pro-LGBT and pro-abortion organizations, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, Marie Stopes International, Rutgers, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation. This has had a significant impact on the actual operations of the WHO, leading to a clear erosion of national sovereignty.
More importantly, President Trump has taken steps to intervene in the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both of which threaten international peace. Trump is exploring ways to end these carnages that continue to claim human lives. Already, a ceasefire has been announced in the Israeli-Palestinian war, with many believing that President Trump played a key role in pushing for the ceasefire and facilitating the recent hostage deal. Similarly, the end of the Russia-Ukraine war seems within reach, as President Trump has vowed to broker a peace deal. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed openness to holding talks with Trump to bring an end to the war. This is commendable since war poses a major threat to human existence. The United States should, therefore, stop fighting a proxy war by funding and supplying arms to Ukraine.
Finally, President Trump has promised to inaugurate what he calls America’s “Golden Age.” We look forward to the restoration of fundamental principles—the truth claims, practical wisdom, and constitutional insights of America’s founding fathers, as expressed in the Declaration of American Independence (1776). Given America’s influence in the world, these principles could serve as a superstructure to facilitate the building of a new international order—one where justice, service, peace, respect for human dignity, intrinsic human worth, and mutual understanding reign.
This is the only way to truly win the human race.
