The Presidency has said that President Bola Tinubu and the American President Donald Trump are set to hold a diplomatic meeting over issues surrounding the concerns raised by Trump regarding the alleged genocide against Christians in Nigeria. Recall that Trump recently claimed that radical Islamists are responsible for what he termed a mass slaughter in Nigeria.
Reacting, Tinubu rejected the characterisation of the nation as religiously intolerant by Trump, saying that such a position does not reflect the national reality.
He revealed that the characterisation did not take into consideration the consistent efforts of the government to protect freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.
“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 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.
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.
Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths,” he wrote on X.
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The Presidency further hinted that Tinubu and his US counterpart have shared interests in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, concluded by saying that the two leaders would soon meet in State House, Abuja or White House in Washington, DC, to discuss whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians o,r in fact, all faiths.
“Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity.
President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorizing 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.
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,” he added.
