In the northeast, Boko Haram and its splinter groups such as Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have waged an insurgency since 2009, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions.
In the north-west, heavily armed criminal gangs – often labelled “bandits” – carry out mass kidnappings and raids that affect both Muslim and Christian communities. These groups have expanded operations into north-central Nigeria.
In parts of central Nigeria, deadly clashes between itinerant Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities are rooted in competition over land and water but exacerbated by religious and ethnic differences.
Nigeria is officially secular but almost evenly divided between Muslims (53%) and Christians (45%), with the remaining population practising African traditional religions. Violence against Christians has drawn significant international attention and is often framed as religious persecution.
The killings of Christian by islamist sect, President trump called for military intervention in Nigeria, and China immediately responded by warning the Washington Dc not to interfer with Nigeria internal affairs.
“Now think about that for a moment ” China never said a words about the killings neither called the government on protecting it citizens or condemning the attacks, it first reactions was to tell American not to interfere.
Why is China so nervous about the involvement of American in Nigeria? The answer is not complicated, is money, power, and fear of exposure. for years, China had been digging it root deep in Nigeria not just through trade or construction but through something darker, illegal mining and strategic control of resources on the surface it looks like partnership on the construction of railway, airports, bridges and loans. But behind those contracts, China is building influence, not friendship, and its biggest interest is in it Nigeria people and Nigeria minerals.
In some states like kogi, zamfara, Niger and Nasarawa, Chinese companies are heavily involved in mining golds and lithium and other valuable minerals, some of these operations are legal and many are not.
The report shows that some Chinese are caught running illegal mining and destroying farmlands, bribing local officials, and secretly shipping minerals out of the country.
Just early this year, the minister of solid mineral confirmed that illegal mining is directly funding terrorism and that not a coexistence because when armed groups controlling mining site, the cohesion benefit the buyers they get cheap un regulated access.
China doesn’t want to be exposed because of the mineral trade, especially the lithium that China needs for their electric car batteries and endups in the Chinese market.
Accountable Nigeria needs transparency, and every transparency needs clear contract, dollars, and shipment to be transparent, and that’s the last thing China wants.
When the US began to push into investigation, it demands human rights about the religious freedom that threatened China role system of control. The US doesn’t just bring aid. It brings scrutiny and asks where’s the money is going. ” Who’s really benefitting, and why are people still dying? These are questions Beijing doesn’t want to be asked.
How China got to Africa countries, particularly Nigeria; for the last two decades, China had invested billions of dollars across Africa in building roass, airports and initiatives power plant but always on its own terms. The contract are secret and the loan are tight to repay conditions that favour China. And when countries fail to met their repayments back, Beijing take controls of its assets.
It happen before in Zambia where China gain control of the mining site due to fail repayments conditions. It also happened in Syria Lanka where it take over national port after the loan default and in Kenya too when debt from the rail crippled the economy.
For Nigeria;
Nigeria owe China over 5 billion dollars in loans and that’s just the exact figures. When President trump said we are watching Nigeria, that statement slake Beijing confidence because US involvement could force transparency and once “transparency enter the room fir corruption run from the door”
China warning US had nothing to do with protecting Nigeria sovereignty but protecting it own interests of business in Nigeria, if Beijing truly cares about the Nigeria sovereignty it would respect Nigeria people not just it politicians, it would condemned the killing not ignoring them, it will speak for the victims not the elite or politicians. That’s why you hardly hear the government to say they’re cracking down Chinese mining in Nigeria because so many people are benefiting from it activities in Nigeria.
In conclusion
China strategy in moving to most African countries like Nigeria, China find weak government to flood with loans and extract their minerals resources and call its partnership. Imagine when the investigation decided to find out or dig deeper, and full transparency in Nigeria minerals resources that are meant to better the life of its citizens in terms of providing social amenities and jobs creations been stolen in broad daylight.
