AfriPulse
The Presidency has debunked a report claiming that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to visit the United States on Tuesday for a meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
In a statement posted on Monday via his official X handle, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described the report as “false and misleading,” adding that it had fuelled “unnecessary speculation and uninformed commentaries.”
Ajayi clarified that if President Tinubu were to visit the White House, he would be meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, not the Vice President.
“There’s a Sahara Reporters story that President Tinubu is going to the U.S. on Tuesday to see U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. That story is not true,” Ajayi wrote. “If President Tinubu is going to the White House, he won’t be going to see a Vice President.”
His remarks followed reports alleging that Tinubu planned to travel to Washington for “top-level diplomatic engagements” amid rising international scrutiny over alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria. The speculation intensified after former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened possible military action against Nigeria.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump accused the Nigerian government of allowing the killing of Christians and warned that the U.S. might intervene militarily.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and 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,” Trump wrote.
He said he had instructed the “Department of War” to prepare for potential action, adding, “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.”
Reacting to the controversy, President Tinubu dismissed claims of a “Christian genocide” and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom, equality, and constitutional democracy.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” Tinubu said in a statement posted on his X handle.
He emphasised that his administration has engaged both Christian and Muslim leaders in dialogue aimed at promoting peace and addressing insecurity. “Since 2023, our administration has maintained open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions,” he added.
Tinubu rejected what he called “external narratives” portraying Nigeria as intolerant, describing them as “inaccurate and unreflective of our national reality.”
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it consider the sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and belief for all Nigerians,” he stated.
Reiterating that tolerance and coexistence remain central to Nigeria’s identity, the President said, “Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”
Tinubu further pledged continued collaboration with the United States and other international partners to foster mutual understanding and protect all faith communities.
“Our administration is committed to working with the U.S. government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on the protection of communities of all faiths,” he affirmed.
Source: RipplesNigeria | Read the Full Story…
