President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to travel to the United States on Tuesday amid allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria and threats of possible military intervention from U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to presidential sources, Tinubu’s trip will feature high-level diplomatic meetings with U.S. officials. It was also gathered that President Trump has delegated his vice president, James David Vance, to meet with Tinubu during the visit, except if there are last-minute changes.
The Presidency earlier confirmed that both leaders were expected to meet soon, either at the State House in Abuja or the White House in Washington, to strengthen bilateral cooperation on counterterrorism and global security.
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Media and Policy Communication to President Tinubu, stated that both leaders share a mutual goal of combating terrorism and protecting humanity from violent extremism.
Bwala’s comment followed President Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
He wrote, “Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity.”
He noted that Trump’s administration had provided crucial assistance to Nigeria’s security efforts, which President Tinubu has effectively advanced.
“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,” the statement added.
The presidential aide further explained that any differences between both leaders regarding the nature of terrorist attacks in Nigeria would be addressed during their upcoming discussions.
“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,” Bwala stated.
Since President Trump announced that the U.S. may invade Nigeria if the alleged killings of Christians are not stopped, reactions have been divided among Nigerians. While some Christians expressed support for the move, others, particularly among Muslim groups, condemned the military threat.
