Former Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, expressed his views on the indictment of former American President Donald Trump, stating that it could be good for democracy.
In an interview with Arise News, he shared his opinion on the matter, saying, “We now have ourselves in an age where presidents have to be very careful about their conduct. Presidents, who while in office think they can do and undo anything all of a sudden may be having second thoughts about the criminality or otherwise of their actions.”
Although he acknowledged the positive aspects of this indictment, he also highlighted its negative effects, pointing out, “The one thing that worries me about this is given the toxic atmosphere that we have in Washington, I can imagine after any democratic president has left office, a district attorney somewhere is hiding to settle scores, file flimsy charges against that democratic president.” This, according to Akinyemi, could lead to the demystification of the post and remove any aura of respectability for the position of the president of a world leader.
Regarding the lessons Nigeria could learn from this case, the former minister opined that Nigeria’s democracy is still new, compared to that of the United States, which is about 200 years old. He further explained, “Nigeria is still in a state of democratic blocks where we need to be careful.” While some issues may need to be overlooked, he noted that there are some things that Nigeria cannot allow its presidents to get away with.
In conclusion, Professor Akinyemi urged future Nigerian leaders to learn from the current events and to moderate their behavior while in office, stating, “just like there is life after office, there is prison after office.”
