November 1, 2025,US President, Donald Trump announced via his social media platform, Truth Social, that he was considering military intervention “guns-a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists killing Christians in Nigeria.” His comments, coming at a time of heightened global sensitivity to religious and ethnic tensions, particularly after the Israeli-Gaza war has immediately triggered sharp reactions across the country.
Trump’s threat is fast becoming one of the most controversial international developments involving Nigeria in recent years. His directive to the newly renamed War Department and to Pentagon to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria as a necessity to “stop the killing of Christians,” has since thrown Nigeria and Nigerians under scrutiny from the global media.
Though the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, responded swiftly, describing Trump’s statements as “regrettable, unfounded, and grossly misleading, ” Trump’s statement had already done its work, which is cast Nigeria once again as a “disgraced country” perpetually defined by conflict, religious intolerance, and instability. In the ensuing storm of headlines, debates, and social media commentary, what has become apparent is what we can call a communication crisis.
The Power of Dangerous Narratives
Unsurprisingly, so many memes, jokes, skits, etc about this is all over social media. If there is something history has taught one, it is that it always repeats itself or creates a pattern. The present situation recalls a familiar pattern in modern geopolitics where before bombs fall, words pave the way. Indeed, history is replete with examples.
In 2003, the United States justified its invasion of Iraq on the premise that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. That claim, later proven false, nonetheless shaped global perception and legitimized a war whose scars remain. Similarly, in 2011, NATO justified its intervention in Libya as a humanitarian mission to protect civilians from Muammar Gaddafi’s tyranny and forces. But after Gaddafi’s fall, Libya descended into chaos and became something close to a pariah state.
These two examples show just how misinformation or skewed communication can become the moral scaffolding for political or military aggression. Once a nation is painted in the worst possible light, intervention appears not only justified but necessary. This is giving a dog a bad name to find justification for hanging it.
Given this, communication therefore is very important for hanging our proverbial dog. That is why an old proverb has it that until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter. Today, Nigeria is the lion. Its story is being told by hunters, hunters like foreign governments, international media outlets, and online propagandists who may have little interest in balance or context. Without counter-narratives grounded in truth and self-representation, Nigeria risks being defined by voices outside its borders.
And so, while debate continues over the moral or political correctness of Trump’s threats, the fact is that the current crisis is a painful reality that Nigeria has long ignored communication as a tool of survival.
It is in the midst of this unfolding drama that I stumbled on a powerful and thought-provoking LinkedIn post not by a politician or diplomat, but from one of Nigeria’s most respected communication minds, Steve Babaeko. Babaeko who is the President of the International Advertising Association (Nigeria Chapter) and Group CEO/Chief Creative Officer of the X3M Ideas Group, took to LinkedIn to issue what one can call a rallying cry.
His post, titled “Where Are Nigeria’s Communication Avengers?”, was more of a challenge, a call to arms for Nigeria’s storytellers, strategists, and communication strategists to rise to the nation’s defense. Whether the post has a direct relationship with what is happening today or is just a standalone, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Let’s face it,” Babaeko wrote, “Nigeria is one of the most misunderstood nations on earth. But that’s not even the real problem. The real issue is that we have failed to take control of our own story. And when you don’t tell your story, others will, with exaggeration, innuendo, and sometimes pure fiction.”
With an allusion to Marvel’s legendary Avengers, he imagined a “national situation room” filled with Nigeria’s best communication experts, storytellers, strategists, and creatives, united in purpose to “craft narratives that rebuild confidence, foster unity, and give Nigerians something to believe in again.”
“Because here’s the truth,” he continued, “a government may have the best plans in the world, but if people don’t know about them, it feels like nothing is being done. Insecurity, disunity, economic hardship, misinformation, even threats of external aggression, these are not just policy problems, they are also communication challenges.”
Babaeko who is also a Visiting Fellow at Henley Business School, UK, concluded with a direct call to his peers: “It is time to assemble Nigeria’s Communication Avengers, a coalition of our finest minds to help this nation rediscover its voice and reclaim its image. Our story is too rich, too layered, too powerful to be left in the hands of amateurs. Where are the Avengers of Nigeria’s communication sector? Your country needs you. Now!”
Babaeko’s message could not have come at a more urgent time. The international narrative surrounding Nigeria has been shaped for decades by external voices which are often negative, sometimes inaccurate, and rarely holistic. The result is a persistent image of a nation perpetually at war with itself.
Indeed, Babaeko’s “Communication Avengers” is not a fanciful metaphor but a serious proposition. What he envisions is a coalition of Nigeria’s best communicators operating as narrative architects rather than propagandists, who can present Nigeria’s complexities with the honesty and balance it deserves. Such a team, if constituted, could serve as a rapid-response communication force during crises, a strategic brand think-tank during national rebranding efforts, and a storytelling engine that continuously reshapes perception at home and abroad.
Indeed, countries like South Korea, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates have invested heavily in national narrative infrastructure via communications councils, media strategy hubs, and storytelling networks that ensure the world hears not just about their problems, but also their progress.
Teaching the Lion to tell its Story
One will be stating the obvious saying that stories told about a country influence investment, tourism, diplomacy, and even the willingness of allies to defend it. When narratives spiral out of control, they invite exploitation. False perceptions about religious persecution, human rights abuses, or corruption can justify sanctions, travel bans, and even military intervention.
Steve Babaeko’s call is precisely about teaching the lion to write its own story. In his analogy of the Avengers, he imagines the communication industry as a united front, a fellowship of minds committed to restoring truth, dignity, and optimism to Nigeria’s image.
Now, looking at his Communication Avengers mode, what might that look like?
It could be a National Narrative Council which will be dedicated body composed of communication professionals, historians, creatives, and media experts tasked with shaping Nigeria’s strategic communication agenda both locally and internationally.
It could have a Rapid Response Media Units. These could be teams capable of responding swiftly to misinformation or emerging global stories about Nigeria to ensure that the nation’s perspective is represented in real time, among others.
And this vision need not remain metaphorical. Nigeria’s creative industry has already proven its global power. Nollywood is the world’s second-largest film industry. Afrobeats has redefined global pop music. Nigerian PR and advertising agencies are winning international awards for storytelling excellence. If any nation possesses the talent to reshape its narrative, it is Nigeria.