Nigeria needs American assistance, but what type? On Monday, 17 November 2025, an armed group attacked Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, North-West Nigeria, killing the vice-principal and abducting at least 25 students. (1)

A short clip from the video is attached below, but the complete discussion may be accessed via this link: https://t.co/DfGjIefv8t

Dr @OGECHUKWUWilli1 recommends that the government must partner with the faith homes, & women’s wellbeing, not other factors, even as they may be significant, should always be at the centre of considerations shaping the formulation of policy for maternal health in Africa. (7)

strong partnerships between the government at national and sub-national levels and the ‘faith homes’ for the benefit of the women who continue to use the latter’s maternal health services, and (5) what may be learnt from the Nigerian medical space about ‘decolonisation’. (6)

and the essential maternal health services that they have been providing for women, (3) women’s preference for these ‘faith homes’ over state and other private medical service providers, (4) the necessity of (5)

Among other things, we discussed (1) key actors in the Nigerian medical space, starting from the precolonial to the colonial and post-independence periods, (2) the emergence of ‘faith’ homes around the mid-20th century, their evolution, (4)

To help promote a more positive future for African women, we considered how the present has been shaped during the colonial period, and what could be learnt from the processes of change that Dr Williams considered in her book, 'Birth Politics'. (3)

'Birth Politics: Colonial Power, Medical Pluralism & Maternity in Nigeria', published this year by Johns Hopkins University Press. This topic is of great importance, given the poor maternal health conditions in some African countries, such as Nigeria, which we focused on. (2)

Women and Healing in Africa: The Secular and the Religious On 5 December 2025, Dr Ogechukwu Williams @OGECHUKWUWilli1 joined me on the YouTube channel 'Africa Simplified' to discuss ‘Women and Healing in Africa’, drawing on her excellent new book, (1)

Here is a clip from our discussion, available at Africa Simplified: https://t.co/hFaSch5OE7 (12)

Dr Powell also notes that even though President Trump has said he is driven by an interest in saving Nigerian lives and protecting religious freedom, a vital democratic value, the president and his associates are more interested in boosting his American Christian support. (11)

and only short-term results - not true peace and security for Nigerians, who really deserve these - may result from the American military intervention that some Nigerians are currently demanding. (10)

In my recent conversation with @natkpowell on Africa Simplified, he explained that French military interventions in West Africa to combat terrorism have not delivered the desired results, (9)

given that solving Nigeria's insecurity problem requires more than committed soldiers and sophisticated military equipment. (8)

The Americans should hear that the majority of Nigerians support increased Nigeria-America collaboration that involves consensual military action as well as other necessary counterinsurgency strategies, (7)

Nigerians, including the prominent Christian religious leaders and political elites who have openly praised President Trump as the God-sent saviour of the persecuted, should demand a more robust multinational collaboration that includes but exceeds military cooperation. (6)

Still, several analysts who have studied the ugly side of previous Western military interventions in African nations and other ones have strongly recommended that Nigerians unite against any potential American invasion of Nigerian territory. (5)

Truly, Nigeria's counterinsurgency efforts have not produced the outcomes that the majority of Nigerians desire. (4)

It is said that Nigeria, 'the Giant of Africa', has failed to protect its population from a variety of killers and criminals, including Islamist insurgents, bandits, armed herders, and those described as unknown gunmen. (3)

This terribly sad event has strengthened the view among some Nigerians that only American military intervention, already threatened by President Donald Trump on 3 November 2025, can restore security in Nigeria. (2)