The Presidency has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu is set to travel to the United States for a meeting with U.S Vice President J.D. Vance.
The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, refuted the report on Monday through his official X handle, describing it as false and misleading.
He said the story, originally published by Sahara Reporters, had sparked needless speculation and “uninformed commentaries.”
Ajayi clarified that if President Tinubu were to visit the White House, he would meet with President Donald Trump, not the Vice President.
“There’s a Sahara Reporters story claiming President Tinubu is going to the U.S. on Tuesday to see Vice President J.D. Vance. That story is not true. It has become the basis for some uninformed commentaries since yesterday. If the President visits the White House, he won’t be going to see a Vice President,” Ajayi wrote.
The clarification followed widespread reports alleging that Tinubu would be visiting Washington for high-level talks amid growing global attention on religious freedom in Nigeria and recent remarks by Trump threatening possible military intervention.
Over the weekend, former U.S President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account, accusing Nigeria of allowing the persecution of Christians and warning that the United States might “go in guns blazing” if the situation persisted.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to wipe out the Islamic terrorists committing these atrocities,” Trump wrote.
In response, President Tinubu rejected the notion of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, reaffirming that the country remains a democracy committed to religious freedom and equality for all citizens.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” the President said in a statement shared on X.
Tinubu added that since assuming office in 2023, his administration has maintained open engagement with both Christian and Muslim leaders to promote peace and tackle insecurity.
He further dismissed external portrayals of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant nation, describing them as inaccurate and inconsistent with the country’s social and cultural diversity.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” Tinubu stated.
Reaffirming that tolerance is central to Nigeria’s identity, Tinubu said, “Religious freedom and tolerance have always been a core tenet of our collective identity and will remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution in all its forms.”
The President also pledged to continue collaborating with the United States and other international partners to promote mutual understanding and protect the rights of all faith communities.
“Our administration is committed to working with the U.S government and the international community to safeguard religious freedom and deepen cooperation on the protection of all communities,” he said.
