LAGOS JULY 4TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, has been excluded as the US President, Donald Trump, is scheduled to welcome leaders from five African countries to Washington next week for discussions about business opportunities.
A White House official announced on Wednesday that Trump would host the presidents of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal for talks and lunch at the White House on 9 July.
The meeting would focus on “commercial opportunities” that could benefit both American companies and African partners.
“President Trump believes that African countries offer incredible commercial opportunities which benefit both the American people and our African partners,” the White House official explained when asked why the meeting was being held.
The absence of Nigeria from the guest list was particularly notable given that it’s Africa’s most populous nation with over 200 million people and the continent’s biggest economy. The country is also a major oil producer and has significant trade relationships with the United States.
Africa Intelligence and Semafor had reported earlier that the Trump administration would hold a summit for the five countries in Washington from 9-11 July, though the White House has only confirmed the single-day meeting so far.
The invitation came just as the Trump administration has dramatically cut US foreign aid to Africa as part of broader spending reductions.
The administration argues that much of the previous aid was wasteful and didn’t align with Trump’s “America First” approach to foreign policy.
Instead of traditional aid programmes, the administration says it wants to focus on trade and investment that creates mutual prosperity for both America and African nations.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined this new approach, saying America was moving away from what he called a charity-based foreign aid model. The US would now favour countries that show “both the ability and willingness to help themselves,” Rubio explained.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has lamented that Trump has not extended invitation to President Bola Tinubu, despite doing same to other African nations.
In a statement by Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, he said
on July 9, 2025, President Donald Trump would host five African leaders at the White House to discuss “commercial opportunities.”
‘’Not Nigeria. Not the continent’s most populous nation, the Giant of Africa which had an economy of $500bn and was among the world’s five fastest growing economies before the cancer called the All Progressives Congress inflicted this blessed nation.
‘’This exclusion by the Trump administration is not a diplomatic oversight. It is not a scheduling error. It is a verdict — scathing in symbolism and staggering in implication. A verdict on Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chaotic presidency, his divisive chairmanship of ECOWAS, and the complete evaporation of Nigeria’s diplomatic relevance,’’ he said.
The former vice president further said, ‘’How do we explain it? Tinubu inherited an ECOWAS of 15 member states and left it gasping for breath with three countries pulling out and 40% of its land mass gone.
“Once Africa’s diplomatic compass — the nation that gave weight to regional consensus and global negotiations — Nigeria has now become an afterthought. Ignored. Sidelined. Stripped of influence. While others are summoned to negotiate Africa’s future, Nigeria is not even in the room.
‘’And while our Foreign Direct Investment has plunged to historic lows, Tinubu’s men lounge in St. Lucia, sipping champagne in the face of national decline. South Africa is negotiating trade frameworks with Washington. Nigeria is invisible.
‘’And let’s now kill the lie that’s been allowed to linger for too long: Gilbert Chagoury is not a Trump ally. He does not hold the keys to the White House. He has no diplomatic leverage in the Trump administration, having been listed as one of the major donors to the Clinton foundation.
‘’The illusion of his influence has collapsed under the weight of reality. Nigeria wagered its international standing on a mirage — and lost.’
‘’As chair of ECOWAS, Tinubu did not build bridges; he burnt them. His erratic, self-serving approach fractured regional cooperation, turning Nigeria into a polarizing force rather than a rallying point.
‘’From Giant of Africa to diplomatic ghost — Tinubu has finished the job. He has squandered our legacy, diluted our stature, and silenced our voice on the world stage. This isn’t just an embarrassment. It is a disgrace — a resounding declaration that Nigeria, under this administration, has lost its way.
‘’But let it be known: we will not mourn in silence. We will not be complicit in our own erasure. Well, we are glad that the coalition through the ADC is here to rescue Nigeria from these urban bandits. The damage is deep — but so is our resolve. And the mission to reclaim Nigeria’s honour has already begun.
‘’History may not be kind to this government. But history will remember who stood up to end it,’’ Atiku stated.
ThisDay
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