The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has criticised threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to deploy military force in Nigeria, stating that such an action would be “diplomatically inappropriate” without the consent of the Nigerian government.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC World Service, Bwala stressed that Nigeria remains a sovereign state and that any form of international military assistance must be based on mutual collaboration and respect for the country’s territorial integrity.
Bwala said, “If it is a joint action with the Nigerian government, that is fine, because Nigeria is a territorial and sovereign country.
“I don’t think, diplomatically, it is right to invade a country without collaboration with that country, especially if that country is your partner in the fight against insecurity.”
He maintained that unilateral intervention by a foreign power would violate global diplomatic norms and could destabilise existing partnerships between Abuja and Washington.
Last Friday, President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)”, alleging widespread persecution of Christians and warning that his administration would “stop all U.S. aid” to Nigeria if the violence continued.
Trump further threatened to instruct the Department of War to take military action against terrorists whom he accused of “killing cherished Christians.”
In his latest comments aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that the U.S. was considering “troops on the ground or air strikes” to halt the alleged killings.
Reacting to the allegations, Bwala described Trump’s comments as a “miscommunication”, insisting that there is no genocide against Christians in Nigeria.
“There is no genocide against Christians in Nigeria, but there is insecurity that affects people of all religious and non-religious faiths, of which Christians are part,” he said.
He added that President Tinubu would have the opportunity to clarify the situation when he meets with Trump in the coming days.
Bwala further stated, “I think there is a miscommunication of the statement of President Donald Trump, which I believe that when the leaders, Trump and Tinubu, meet, hopefully in the coming days, they will be able to iron out.”
Despite the diplomatic tension, the presidential aide commended Trump for his previous support to Nigeria’s security efforts during his first term in office.
“We are grateful to President Donald Trump because, if we recall, it was during his first term that he used executive powers to authorise the sale of arms for us to fight insurgency. That is a good faith on his part,” Bwala noted.
He added that the Tinubu administration appreciates Trump’s renewed interest in combating Boko Haram and other extremist groups, provided such efforts are rooted in accurate intelligence.
“In his second term, he has indicated his interest in the fight against extremists, which we welcome. We believe that a data-driven assessment is what can be relied upon rather than isolated reports and social media videos,” he explained.
Bwala emphasised that the Nigerian government is open to constructive international cooperation on security but warned that any military action must be informed by verifiable data rather than political narratives.
“Where you will see that form of intervention is when there is an intelligence assessment that the country is in fact fuelling the crisis, that is not the case in Nigeria,” he stated.
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