Opinion
By Emmanuel Onwubiko
THE 45th President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald John Trump, will be staging a triumphant comeback to the prestigious and powerful office of the White House on January 20, 2025 (Monday), as the 47th President of the USA.
Sacred oath-taking, musical performances, and a celebratory parade are some of the epochal events lined up for the presidential inauguration.
The British Broadcasting Corporation defines the presidential inauguration as the formal ceremony that marks the end of one president’s time in office and the start of their successor’s administration. In this case, Trump will assume office just as Joe Biden exits after a single term.
A major ceremony during the inauguration, as aforementioned, is the recitation of the oath of office: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the USA, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
What happens during Inauguration Day on January 20? Trump’s second inauguration day will kick off with a service at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square—a historic Washington, D.C., church—followed by tea at the White House.
Musical performances and opening remarks are set to begin on the main event stage, located on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building, at 9:30 AM EST (2:30 PM GMT).
This will be followed by the swearing-in of Trump and Vance, as well as the inaugural address, during which the president will outline his goals for the next four years.
Trump will then head inside to the President’s Room near the Senate chamber to sign key documents. He will subsequently attend a lunch hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
This will be followed by a parade that goes from the Capitol Building down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. Later in the evening, Trump will appear at three inaugural balls throughout the city—the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball, and the Starlight Ball. He is expected to speak at all three.
Who will perform? Country singer and former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood is slated to perform America the Beautiful during the ceremony.
“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood said in a statement. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and look to the future.”
Country singer Lee Greenwood—Trump’s long-time friend and collaborator—will also perform at the inauguration ceremony, as will opera singer Christopher Macchio.
American disco group The Village People will perform at Trump’s victory rally on Sunday and at one of the inaugural balls on Monday.
During the campaign, Trump frequently played the group’s songs—YMCA and Macho Man—at his rallies.
“We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear; however, we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics,” the band said in a post on its Facebook page. “Our song YMCA is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.”
Other performers are set to appear at Trump’s Sunday rally and the evening balls. Many of them are country acts, including Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jason Aldean, and Rascal Flatts. Gavin DeGraw will also perform.
Our reflection is set out to establish an African and Nigerian agenda for President Donald Trump’s second term in office. What is the current volume of trade between Nigeria and the United States?
The Nigeria Trade & Investment Summary shows that U.S. goods and services trade with Nigeria totaled an estimated $10.6 billion in 2022. Exports were $5.2 billion, and imports were $5.4 billion. The U.S. goods and services trade deficit with Nigeria was $177 million in 2022.
U.S. goods exports to Nigeria in 2022 were $3.4 billion, down 13.6 percent ($530 million) from 2021 and down 33 percent from 2012. U.S. goods imports from Nigeria totaled $4.8 billion in 2022, up 38.9 percent ($1.3 billion) from 2021, but down 75 percent from 2012. The U.S. trade balance with Nigeria shifted from a goods trade surplus of $446 million in 2021 to a goods trade deficit of $1.4 billion in 2022.
U.S. exports of services to Nigeria were an estimated $1.9 billion in 2022, 17.6 percent ($277 million) more than in 2021, and 0 percent less than 2012 levels. U.S. imports of services from Nigeria were an estimated $607 million in 2022, 38.0 percent ($167 million) more than in 2021 and 21 percent greater than 2012 levels. Leading services exports from the U.S. to Nigeria were in the travel, financial services, and transportation sectors. The United States had a services trade surplus of an estimated $1.2 billion with Nigeria in 2022, up 9.7 percent from 2021.
U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in Nigeria (stock) was $5.6 billion in 2022, a 6.4 percent decrease from 2021. U.S. direct investment in Nigeria is led by mining, information services, and professional, scientific, and technical services.
Nigeria’s FDI in the United States (stock) was $168 million in 2022, up 6.3 percent from 2021. Strengthening this bilateral trade relationship is therefore strategic and urgent.
The Institute for Security Studies, in a report dated December 9, 2024, warned that Africa must prepare for Trump’s comeback and further added that the Black continent should brace for surprises from Donald Trump’s second coming.
It asked: how will Donald Trump’s second-term policies affect U.S. relations with the continent?
The Institute of Security Studies affirmed that President Joe Biden’s recent trip to Angola—the first state visit by a U.S. president in nine years—highlighted America’s renewed engagement with Africa. But as Donald Trump prepares for his second term in office, questions arise about the future of U.S.-Africa relations and whether this engagement will continue.
The Institute of Security Studies reminds us that Trump’s first term, characterized by an inward-focused America First agenda, showed the need for Africa to recalibrate its strategies—particularly in key geopolitical and security engagements. Several critical issues at bilateral, regional, and continental levels will be impacted by his second-term policies and the priorities of his inner circle.
Trump’s return presents African countries with an opportunity to take a proactive stance in shaping their political and economic relations with the U.S. and developing resilient strategies instead of reacting to shifting U.S. policies.
Key bilateral relationships, particularly between the U.S. and South Africa, are expected to shift—stemming from U.S. opposition to South Africa’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel over Gaza and the country’s close ties with China and Russia.
In the area of insecurity and the war on terrorists, a typical Nigerian should be asking that Donald Trump’s second coming shouldn’t overlook some of the basic technical military assistance that Nigeria has been benefitting from through the magnanimity of the government and people of the United States. At the same time, Nigerians should expect that the Nigerian government’s commitments in the area of respect for human rights become binding, obligatory, and enforceable in total adherence to the provisions of Chapter 4 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and all other humanitarian treaties.
As a Nigerian citizen, I expect that the incoming American president should not abandon the global role of the U.S. as the universal promoter of human rights and democracy. While President Donald Trump’s presidency emphasizes the issue of America First, the position of the U.S. as a world power would diminish should it abandon the pursuit of global democracy and respect for human rights. The ball is in the court of President Donald John Trump.
***Emmanuel Onwubiko is the founder of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria and was a National Commissioner of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission.
A.I
Jan. 16, 2025
Tags: Donald Trump Emmanuel Onwubiko
