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Nigeria summons US envoy over Trump’s ‘s***hole’ slur

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before departing from the south lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 21, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The Nigerian government has summoned the United States’ ambassador over the derogatory remarks recently made by President Donald Trump about African countries.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama confirmed on Monday that US Ambassador Stuart Symington had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry. Onyeama declined to provide further details.

Trump on Thursday questioned why the US should be taking in immigrants from Haiti and African nations, which he called “shithole countries,” according to US government officials present at the meeting where Trump spoke.

The Nigerian Foreign Ministry said in statement that Onyeama “sought clarification on the veracity or otherwise of the substance of the remarks, stressing that if they were true, they were deeply hurtful, offensive and unacceptable.”

Trump has denied using profane language about African countries; however, several US lawmakers who attended the White House meeting confirmed that the president had made the disparaging remarks.

Trump’s vulgar comments sparked anger and drew global condemnation.

A group of 55 African countries demanded a “retraction and an apology” from Trump.

The United Nations also denounced the remarks as “shocking,” “shameful,” and “racist.”

Last week, the Trump administration ended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 260,000 immigrants from El Salvador, forcing them to gradually leave the US.

The US president has also angered Muslims worldwide by imposing a travel ban on the citizens of six Muslim-majority nations.

During the 2016 presidential race, Trump pledged “a total and complete shutdown” of US borders on those he deemed undesirable.


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