Angela Ukomadu and Libby George
Lagos – Hundreds of men and women marched, clad in T-shirts supporting US President Donald Trump or pink fabric dresses bearing the image of Jesus, as they waved American flags, Republican presidential campaign signs, and even a few Nigerian flags.
The rally was in Onitsha, a city in eastern Nigeria.
Trump has disparaged African nations, calling them "s**hole countries" and saying Africans would never leave the US if allowed in. This year, he added Nigeria and five other countries when he expanded visa curbs.
But millions in Africa's most populous nation love the bombastic 45th US president all the same.
"President Trump, may we shout for joy over your victory," Reverend Daddy Hezekiah of the Living Christ Mission Inc., which organised the October 25 rally, said in a video.
A Pew Research Center poll in January found that 58% of Nigerians had confidence in Trump, behind only Israel, the Philippines and Kenya. A 2020 Gallup poll showed 56% of Nigerians approved of US leadership, versus 24% for Europeans.
In a posh Lagos eatery, a portrait of Trump in a gold-trimmed red agbada, a flowing robe worn by Yoruba men, hangs on the wall. The traditional clothing is a "mark of respect", said artist Peter Udoakang.
"I made this painting to bring him closer to us," said the 23-year-old, adding that Trump's "radical" approach to governing appealed to Nigerians, who are used to hustling in a tough economy to survive.
On a busy Lagos road, driver Michael Onyeonoro said if Nigeria found a similar leader, the US visa troubles might not matter.
"If we have a person like Trump...Nigeria will be a better place to stay," Onyeonoro said. "There will be no need of going outside the country."