Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has urged citizens to avoid hate and violence in political conversations.
He issued the caution on X, while reflecting on the killing of American political activist Charlie Kirk, 32. Kirk was shot dead during a school gathering in Utah on September 11.
Keyamo described the killing as “condemnable” and warned Nigerians that careless words can drive others to violent extremes. “Anyone can end up as the victim,” he said.
In a long post on September 13, Keyamo appealed to Nigerians across political divides to reject threats, bigotry and insults.
“It is extreme cowardice to threaten, abuse or humiliate others who do not agree with your political views,” he wrote.
He added that such behaviour shows weakness in debate. “A resort to abuse or threats or even personal attacks is a sign that you have lost the intellectual contestation,” the minister said.
According to him, no one can be forced in a democracy to adopt another person’s opinion through fear or intimidation.
Message to All Sides
Keyamo stressed that his warning was not targeted at one camp. “This is not just a subtle message to one side of the political divide alone,” he explained.
“It is a direct message to all of us in government, in the ruling party, in opposition parties, in civil society and generally everyone in the political space,” he wrote.
His remarks come at a time of heated online arguments among Nigerians over the political direction of the country as the next election in 2027 draws ever closer.
More voices are warning that violent rhetoric can easily spill into real conflict if not checked, as seen in the US case.
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