As you practise “America First,” and rightly so, please do not ignore one of the most important routes to stopping the huge and unsustainable migration into America.
If America truly wants to reduce illegal migration and discourage the desperate movement of people across its borders, then it should look beyond the border itself and confront the conditions that drive people to leave their countries in the first place.
Nigeria provides a striking case study.
When the All Progressives Congress (APC) came to power in 2015, approximately 258,540 Nigerian-born immigrants were living in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data . By 2024, the United Nations estimated that approximately 565,000 people born in Nigeria were living in the United States . That represents an increase of roughly 306,500 people, or about 119 per cent, in less than a decade . America had consequently become the single largest destination for Nigerians living outside Nigeria .
The broader picture is equally striking. By 2024, approximately 2.094 million Nigerians were living outside Nigeria, with about 565,000 in the United States, representing roughly 27 percent of Nigeria’s entire emigrant population . The United Kingdom, the second-largest destination, had approximately 324,000 Nigerians .
Now, Mr President, consider what happened to Nigeria during roughly this same period.
Nigeria’s population increased from roughly 180 million in 2015 to more than 230 million by 2024, yet its economic circumstances deteriorated severely. GDP per capita, measured in current U.S. dollars that stood at about $3,190 in 2019 eventually fell to about $1,084 in 2024, following the extraordinary depreciation of the naira . Annual consumer inflation reached approximately 33.2 per cent that year .
But, Mr President, as we approach the final quarter of 2026, the situation demands an even more serious examination. An accurate assessment of Nigeria’s present economic and social conditions should not only be frightening for Nigeria; it should also be a matter of serious concern to the United States under your watch.
The living conditions of millions of Nigerians have deteriorated dramatically since the second quarter of 2023, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office. The precipitous removal of the petrol subsidy, the sharp devaluation of the naira and other economic reforms have produced an extraordinary cost-of-living squeeze.
Never in Nigeria’s history since independence have Nigerians experienced hardship of the magnitude many are experiencing today. And when people can no longer see a viable future at home, the pressure to migrate inevitably increases.
Mr President, ordinary Nigerians, most of whom overwhelmingly supported and celebrated your return to the White House, were genuinely gladdened when you recently intervened by providing military assistance to help Nigeria temporarily confront terrorism. They saw it as evidence that America had not forgotten the Nigerian people and was prepared to act where innocent lives were under threat.
But please do not be deceived by any appearance of partnership presented by the Tinubu administration. The Nigerian people know the difference between a government genuinely committed to protecting its citizens and one merely seeking to manage appearances before an international partner.
There is another concern that cannot be ignored. A government that has chosen to retain a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, despite the enormous religious sensitivities and insecurity confronting the country, must be subjected to close scrutiny over the protection of Christians and other vulnerable communities. My concern is simple: once your tenure as President of the United States is over, what guarantee will there be that those currently in power in Nigeria will continue to give the same attention to the protection of Christian communities?
This is why American engagement with Nigeria cannot be reduced to temporary military assistance. America must address the deeper conditions that allow terrorism, poverty, insecurity and mass migration to flourish.
Nigerians are not asking you to install a leader for them. No! They are perfectly capable of choosing their own president. What they ask of your government, humbly, is to help ensure that the democratic process is free, fair and credible, and that every legitimate vote cast should count.
There is growing apprehension that institutions responsible for protecting Nigeria’s democratic process have become compromised and that, if the present circumstances persist, the genuine choice of the Nigerian people could once again be subdued in 2027. Mr President, your government has considerable influence and can make it unmistakably clear that America supports the Nigerian people’s right to choose their government freely, without intimidation, manipulation or institutional interference.
There is also another matter that deserves your attention. The reported 399-page FBI file concerning Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be subjected to the fullest lawful transparency. If those records can legally be released under applicable U.S. law, Nigerians and the American public deserve to know what they contain. And if competent American authorities establish, through due process, that any individual committed crimes within U.S. jurisdiction or other prosecutable offences, that individual should face the consequences provided by American law, irrespective of political office.
Mr President, there is a simple philosophy behind all of this: the best way to stop people from leaving their country is not merely to make it difficult for them to enter another country; it is to make their own country worth staying in. Most Nigerians already in America are hardworking, tax-paying productive members of American society, yet most continue to dream of returning home if Nigeria’s system is transformed and gives them a genuine reason to do so.
That is where “America First” and Nigeria’s interests can meet. Support a credible democratic process, let Nigerians freely choose the leaders they trust, and help create the conditions in which they can live securely, work honestly, educate their children and build prosperous lives at home.
Mr President, if you genuinely want to reduce illegal migration into America, help Nigeria create hope at home. You do not need to govern Nigeria; you only need to help Nigerians govern themselves freely. That may ultimately prove to be one of the most effective “America First” immigration policies of all.
Yours faithfully,
Tai Emeka Obasi
