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| Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama |
Federal Government on Monday summoned a representative of the the U.S. ambassador to explain reported remarks by President Donald Trump that immigrants from Africa and Haiti come from โshithole countriesโ, the foreign ministry said.
Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama โsought clarification on the veracity or otherwise of the substance of the remarks, stressing that if they were true, they were deeply hurtful, offensive and unacceptableโ, the ministry said in a statement.
Trump reportedly made the remarks at a private meeting with lawmakers on immigration on Thursday. A U.S. senator who attended the gathering said the president used โvile, vulgarโ language, including repeatedly using the word โshitholeโ when speaking about African countries.
The Nigerian foreign ministry statement noted the โvery warm and cordial relations that presently existโ between Nigeria and the U.S.
The United States, represented by Deputy Chief of Mission David J. Young as the ambassador was not in Nigeria, said there were contradictory accounts as to whether the remarks were made, the statement said.
In a separate statement, a U.S. embassy spokesman said Young โreiterated the excellent relations that exist between the United States and Nigeria and they discussed future cooperation between the two countriesโ.
The U.S. president on Friday denied using such derogatory language. But he has been widely condemned in many African countries and by international rights organisations. African Union countries demanded an apology on Friday.
