Tinubu’s Adviser to US: ‘Nigeria Is Not Venezuela’

Daniel Bwala, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Advisor on Policy Communication, criticized recent calls by some US politicians for Nigeria to do away with Sharia law on Thursday, calling the action an infringement on the nation’s constitutional integrity and sovereignty.

In an interview with Arise Television on Thursday, Bwala stated that any such foreign meddling in Nigeria’s domestic legal system is both intolerable and against international standards.

In response to a question on whether the US government has the authority to force Nigeria to change its constitution or outlaw Sharia law in the northern states, Bwala said, “They don’t have the locus.”

“Doing that will amount to violating a nation’s territorial rights and integrity,” he continued.

He emphasized that Nigeria’s federal framework permits different legal systems in different states.

“A national law is not sharia law. Although their federal style of government is more sophisticated, we also use it, Bwala clarified.

Additionally, Bwala denied that US President Donald Trump had threatened to use force in Nigeria, claiming that this would be against international law.

“There are only three conditions upon which another country can invade militarily, so even the threat of a potential military invasion is inconsistent with the US convention,” he stated.

“You are either invited by that nation, you are at war with that nation, or the UN requests that you be there.”

Bwala’s comments follow a congressional briefing in the US when senators were encouraged to advocate for the dissolution of Nigeria’s Hisbah religious police and the repeal of Sharia law.

Extremist organizations like Boko Haram and ISWAP “weaponize Sharia-based institutions and Hisbah operatives to advance extremist ideology, enforce forced conversions, and operate unchecked in many communities,” according to Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, a Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, who made this claim during the hearing.

However, Bwala maintained that Nigeria’s constitutional modifications are a domestic matter that is outside the jurisdiction of any foreign authority.

We don’t agree with them about changing our constitution. “We are not Venezuela; we are a sovereign state that has never been colonized by the United States anywhere,” he said.