Current Nigerian Views on the U.S.

The Trump administration is at the beginning of deploying its foreign policy agenda, including efforts to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development and curtail “softer” foreign policy tools more broadly. America’s friends, allies, competitors, and everyone in between are paying attention.

Using our data platform, Talisman, this week we looked at how people in Nigeria—with its long history of American private, development-related, and humanitarian investment—are feeling about the U.S. 

Here are three themes:

• Visa issues. The most prominent story over the past few months has been the Trump administration’s decision to end visa waivers for Nigerians, making travel to the U.S. much more difficult. The new visa policy hasn’t received as much attention in the U.S. media, but in Nigerian online discourse it was a hot topic—a good reminder that local sources are key to understanding the real effects of U.S. foreign policy.  

• USAID. FilterLabs found some coverage of the Trump administration’s stop work order (SWO) and general efforts to shutter USAID, particularly how it might impact efforts to deal with the terrorist group, Boko Haram. Interestingly, a prominent story about USAID was based on an (unfounded) rumor that funds had gone to the terrorist group itself. 

• Africa and Race. Nigerian news and social media also covered how the Trump administration might affect other African nations, including coverage of an Executive Order prioritizing white South Africans in refugee programs while others apply for asylum in the U.S.

The broad takeaway is that Nigerians are watching the U.S. closely. Additionally, and like most countries, Nigeria sees the U.S. through a prism of their own interests and concerns, which might go unnoticed by those outside of Nigeria without a way to find and analyze local sources.