Former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, has said recent developments in Venezuela have laid bare the true intentions of United States President Donald Trump in the South American country.
Ahmad’s reaction followed Trump’s announcement that Venezuela’s interim authorities had agreed to transfer between 30 million and 50 million barrels of crude oil to the United States. According to Trump, the oil—described as “sanctioned”—would be sold at market value, with the proceeds controlled by the US government and used in a manner he said would benefit both countries.
Reacting via a post on X, Ahmad argued that the crude oil arrangement, coming shortly after a US-led military operation in Venezuela, underscored Washington’s underlying objective. He suggested that the removal of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was driven by strategic and economic interests rather than purely political considerations.
“It is now evidently clear, even to those with limited understanding, what President Trump’s objective in Venezuela truly is,” Ahmad wrote.
Trump had ordered US forces to carry out a military operation in Venezuela on January 3, which resulted in Maduro’s capture. Days later, Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as the country’s interim president.
The US intervention and subsequent oil deal have generated mixed reactions globally, drawing both support and criticism from international observers amid ongoing debates over sovereignty, energy security and foreign intervention.