Patriotic Alliance salutes President Donald Trump over US air strikes in Nigeria
Gayton McKenzie, leader of the Patriotic Alliance and Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture in the Government of National Unity. The Patriotic Alliance has praised US President Donald Trump over the US bombardment in Nigeria, saying it sent a strong message against the killing of Christians.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers
The Patriotic Alliance has praised US President Donald Trump for authorising military action in Nigeria, saying the bombardment sent a strong message against what it described as the ongoing killing of Christians.
In a statement issued on 27 December 2025, the party, led by Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture in the Government of National Unity, Gayton McKenzie, said Trump had shown courage and decisive leadership at a time when many global leaders had remained silent.
“It cannot be acceptable — morally, politically, or in terms of basic human rights — that the killing of Christians has become normalised or dismissed,” the party said.
“Every human life matters. The right to worship freely, without fear of violence or death, is fundamental and non-negotiable.”
The Patriotic Alliance said attacks by Islamist terrorist groups had led to the destruction of churches, the displacement of communities and the continued slaughter of civilians, adding that there had been little meaningful consequence for those responsible.
“Defending Christians against organised, violent persecution is not extremism,” the party said. “It is a defence of basic human dignity.”
“Leadership requires difficult decisions, and courage requires action,” the statement added, in reference to Trump’s decision to authorise military strikes.
However, US military action in Nigeria has been widely criticised, with analysts and human rights groups warning that the country’s insecurity affects people of all faiths and backgrounds. Critics argue that extremist violence has killed both Christians and Muslims, and that military interventions risk worsening instability and civilian suffering.
The Patriotic Alliance acknowledged that Islamist terrorism in Nigeria had also claimed the lives of Muslim civilians who rejected extremist ideology, but said failure to act against sustained and targeted violence amounted to a moral failure.
On Friday, IOL reported that the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemned the US airstrikes carried out in Nigeria, warning that the attacks mark a dangerous escalation of foreign military intervention on the African continent and a direct threat to national sovereignty.
The strikes on December 25, publicly announced and celebrated by Trump as “powerful and deadly” operations against what he described as “ISIL Islamic State” targets in northwest Nigeria, reportedly hit areas in Sokoto State.
Washington framed the action as a counter-terrorism measure, but the EFF rejected that justification, describing the operation as imperial overreach carried out “under the guise of counter-terrorism”.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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