Okay News reports that the Nigerian Presidency has denied a viral claim suggesting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was scheduled to travel to the United States for a meeting with American Vice President J.D. Vance.
The clarification came from Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, who described the report as false and misleading. He said the story, which gained traction on social media, had sparked unnecessary speculation and “uninformed commentaries.”
In a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, Ajayi stated, “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. I can see that the fake news by Sahara has become the basis for some uninformed commentaries since yesterday. If President Tinubu is going to the White House, he won’t be going to see a Vice President.”
The denial followed reports alleging that the Nigerian leader was preparing for “top-level diplomatic engagements” in Washington amid growing global attention on claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump, through his social media platform Truth Social, issued a statement warning that the United States might halt foreign aid to Nigeria and “go in guns blazing” if the government failed to protect Christians from alleged killings. Trump said, “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.”
He further claimed to have instructed the U.S. Department of War to prepare for possible action, saying, “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.”
In response to these remarks, President Tinubu reaffirmed that Nigeria remains a secular democracy guided by constitutional principles guaranteeing freedom of religion for all citizens.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” Tinubu said in a statement shared on his X handle. “Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.”
Okay News reports that Tinubu also rejected external narratives portraying Nigeria as a nation plagued by religious intolerance. “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” he added.
Reiterating his government’s commitment to tolerance and unity, the President noted, “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 peace, mutual understanding, and protection of communities of all faiths.
“Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths,” he said. “Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on the protection of communities of all faiths.”
