Abuja, Nigeria — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reported trip to the United States to resolve diplomatic tensions between his administration and the Donald Trump-led U.S. government will no longer go ahead as planned, according to information obtained by SaharaReporters on Monday morning.
Reliable sources within the presidency revealed that while discussions between Nigeria and the U.S. are ongoing, a face-to-face meeting is not currently scheduled.
“The meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Donald Trump is not going as reported. No plans are in place to go to Washington, D.C.; conversations between the U.S. and Nigeria are ongoing, but a face-to-face meeting is not yet on the cards,” a presidency source said.
Instead, there are indications that President Tinubu may attend the upcoming G-20 Summit in Durban, South Africa, on November 20, where an in-person meeting between Tinubu and Trump is now considered a possibility.
Earlier reports had suggested that both leaders were expected to meet “in the coming days,” either at the State House in Abuja or the White House in Washington, to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of counterterrorism and global security.
This speculation stemmed from a statement by Daniel Bwala, Media Aide to President Tinubu, who noted that both leaders share a “common vision” in combating terrorism and protecting humanity from violent extremism.
According to Bwala:
“Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity.”
He also highlighted that the Trump administration had previously approved major arms sales to Nigeria, which Tinubu’s government has continued to utilize effectively in its 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,” he stated.
Bwala added that any differences in perception regarding whether terrorist groups in Nigeria target only Christians or all faiths “would be discussed and resolved” when both leaders eventually meet.
The diplomatic tension heightened after Donald Trump warned that the U.S. military might intervene in Nigeria if the killings of Christians continued.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. 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,” Trump said.
“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,” he added.
In response, the Nigerian Presidency issued a strong rebuttal over the weekend, denying any form of religious persecution in the country.
President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom, stating that the nation’s constitution “enshrines protection of religious rights” and that his administration “ensures equality for all faiths.”
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” Tinubu said.
“Since 2023, our administration has maintained active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.”
He further described the notion of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria as a mischaracterisation of the nation’s complex security reality, emphasizing that religious tolerance remains a core part of Nigeria’s identity.
“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,” Tinubu said.
The president reiterated his administration’s readiness to work with the United States and international partners to strengthen peace, mutual understanding, and the protection of communities of all faiths.
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