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The
rally, after all, was in Onitsha, a city in eastern Nigeria.
Trump has disparaged African nations, calling them "shithole
countries" and saying Africans would never leave the United
States if allowed in. This year, he added Nigeria and five other
countries when he expanded visa curbs.
But millions in Africa's most populous nation love the bombastic
45th U.S. president all the same.
"President Trump, may we shout for joy over your victory," Rev.
Daddy Hezekiah of the Living Christ Mission Inc., which
organized the Oct. 25 rally, said in a video.
A Pew Research Center poll in January found that 58% of
Nigerians had confidence in Trump, behind only Israel, the
Philippines and Kenya. A 2020 Gallup poll showed 56% of
Nigerians approved of U.S. leadership, versus 24% for Europeans.
In a posh Lagos eatery, a portrait of Trump in a gold-trimmed
red agbada, a flowing robe worn by Yoruba men, hangs on the
wall. The traditional clothing is a "mark of respect", said
artist Peter Udoakang.
"I made this painting to bring him closer to us," said the
23-year-old, adding that Trump's "radical" approach to governing
appealed to Nigerians, who are used to hustling in a tough
economy to survive.
On a busy Lagos road, driver Michael Onyeonoro said if Nigeria
found a similar leader, the U.S. visa troubles might not matter.
"If we have a person like Trump...Nigeria will be a better place
to stay," Onyeonoro said. "There will be no need of going
outside the country."
(Reporting by Libby George; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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