Former Zamfara governor and current senator representing Zamfara West, Abdulaziz Yari, on Wednesday rejected proposals that the United States intervene in Nigeria’s security challenges — insisting that only Nigerians can restore peace and order in the country.
Yari spoke at the official flag-off of the “One Nigeria Project,” organized by the National Association of Former Local Government Council Chairmen, where he directly addressed growing public and political calls for external help. He argued that Nigeria’s problems must be solved internally, by its citizens and leaders. “Stop calling on Trump,” he told Nigerians. “Trump has no business in Nigeria. He cannot solve the problems of Nigeria.”
Yari contended that part of the root of Nigeria’s insecurity lies with the country’s own political elite — a group he said comprises roughly two million people out of Nigeria’s population. He urged these leaders to put the nation’s interest above personal gain, respect the rights of the majority, and take ownership of resolving deep-rooted national challenges.
In a blunt comparison, Yari argued that if Nigerians view America as “God’s country,” they should see their own nation as far more worthy: “This Nigeria is more of God’s own country than America.” He pressed elites to demonstrate true patriotism — asking, “If Nigeria goes down today, do you have another country?”
For Yari, foreign intervention is not only unhelpful — it undermines national dignity and diverts responsibility away from Nigerians themselves.
Yari’s remarks come amid increasing international pressure on Nigeria over its escalating insecurity and recurring attacks against civilians, many of them religious minorities. Some U.S.-based actors have urged intervention, citing the scale and brutality of the violence.
But many Nigerians — including security experts, civic groups, and some former officials — caution against expecting foreign powers to solve systemic problems. In a recent policy roundtable, a group of analysts argued that no foreign military has ever successfully resolved another country’s internal security crises, citing unstable outcomes in nations such as Libya, Syria and Iraq.
Editorial voices have also warned against external intervention, noting that any such move risks destabilising the country further — particularly given Nigeria’s size, ethnic and religious diversity, and already fragile security fabric.
Furthermore, a coalition of concerned citizens emphasises that while foreign support might seem appealing, what Nigeria truly needs is strong governance, improved security infrastructure, and peace-building from within — not foreign boots on the ground.
The current federal government under Bola Tinubu has similarly rejected calls for handing over Nigeria’s security to foreign powers. In a statement responding to earlier suggestions for foreign intervention, the presidency argued that doing so would amount to a surrender of national sovereignty.
That said, Abuja has not ruled out cooperating with international partners on intelligence-sharing and support, provided such cooperation respects Nigeria’s autonomy and remains under Nigerian command.
Yari’s warning has reaffirmed a growing consensus among many Nigerians and stakeholders: that outsourcing security to foreign powers might yield short-term headlines
