ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Presidency has refuted claims that President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to visit the United States on Tuesday for a meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, dismissed the report first published by Sahara Reporters as false and misleading, saying it had triggered unnecessary speculation and “uninformed commentaries.”
Ajayi, in a post on his official X handle on Monday, clarified that if President Tinubu were indeed visiting the White House, he would be meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, not the Vice President.
He wrote, “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 clarification followed viral reports suggesting that Tinubu was travelling to Washington for “top-level diplomatic engagements,” amid growing global attention on alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria and recent remarks by President Trump threatening possible military action.
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Meanwhile, Trump, in a post on his Truth Social account on Saturday, warned that the United States might “go in guns blazing” if the Nigerian government failed to halt the alleged killing of Christians.
He stated, “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.
“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.”
In response to the rising controversy, President Tinubu over the weekend dismissed any claims of “Christian genocide,” reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to democracy, religious freedom, and equality for all citizens.
In a statement shared on his X handle, the President emphasised that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and that his administration continues to engage leaders across faiths to promote peace and address insecurity.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” Tinubu said.
He added, “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.”
The President rejected what he called external misrepresentations of Nigeria’s religious climate, insisting that the country remains committed to peaceful coexistence and protection of individual rights.
“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,” Tinubu stated.
Reiterating that religious tolerance remains a core element of the nation’s identity, he 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 also pledged continued cooperation with the United States and other global partners to promote mutual understanding and ensure the protection of communities of all faiths.
“Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths. 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,” he affirmed.