President Bola Tinubu is set to travel to the United States on Tuesday for high-level diplomatic engagements with the US government, SaharaReporters has learnt.
Naijaonpoint understands that Tinubu’s trip is in the midst of a fraught dispute over allegations of mass killings of Christians in Nigeria and threats of military action from Washington.
Presidential sources told SaharaReporters on Sunday that Tinubu will be in the US on Tuesday for “top level” talks. The sources added that US President, Donald Trump, has delegated his vice, James David Vance, to receive or meet with Tinubu during the visit, subject to any last-minute changes.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said earlier that both leaders share common interests in counterterrorism and global security, and that an encounter, either at the State House in Abuja or the White House in Washington, was anticipated in the coming days.
“Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity,” Bwala said in a statement.
The visit comes after Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and warned that the United States may deploy military force if the “killing of Christians” does not stop.
In a post, Trump said the US “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
He added, “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians.”
Bwala insisted that Washington has supported Nigeria’s security efforts in the past, notably through arms sales that the Tinubu administration has used to strengthen counterterrorism operations.
“President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorising the sale of arms to Nigeria and President Tinubu has adequately utilized the opportunity in the fight against terrorism for which we have massive results to show for it,” Bwala said.
He added that any differences over whether terrorists target Christians only or Nigerians of all faiths would be addressed directly by the two leaders during their meeting.
“As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or in fact all faiths and no faiths, the differences if they exist would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days, either in State House or White House,” he said.
The Nigerian Presidency has consistently rejected claims of Christian genocide, saying the allegations do not reflect realities on the ground and that the Constitution guarantees protection for citizens irrespective of faith. The presidency reiterated that its focus is on protecting all Nigerians and sustaining interfaith harmony.
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