Bola Tinubu
Temitope Ajayi, senior special assistant to President Bola Tinubu on media and publicity, has dismissed a report that US President Donald Trump has delegated his deputy to meet with the Nigerian leader.
Both presidents were scheduled to meet “in the coming days” to discuss claims of Christian genocide in the country, Daniel Bwala, Tinubu’s special adviser on policy communication, said on Sunday.
The scheduled meeting came as Trump redesignated Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern‘ over claims the government has deliberately ignored attacks on Christians.
Trump later threatened that he would not rule out air strikes or boots on the ground in furtherance of his plan to “completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists killing Christians in Nigeria”.
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The US leader also warned the Nigerian government to “better move fast” or he would make good his threat to stop all US aid and assistance to the country.
Bwala said differences in perspective between Trump and Tinubu would be resolved during the upcoming meeting, which could take place at the State House in Abuja or the White House in Washington.
However, a report had claimed that Tinubu is scheduled to visit the US on Tuesday.
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The report added that Trump had “delegated his Vice, James David Vance to meet with Tinubu during the visit, barring any last minute changes”.
In a statement on Monday, Ajayi debunked the report.
“There is a story that President Tinubu is going to the US on Tuesday to see US Vice President J.D Vance. That story is not true,” Ajayi said via X.
“If President Tinubu is going to the White House, he won’t be going to see a Vice President.”
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Tinubu and some members of his administration have repeatedly rejected US claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy, said Tinubu has taken decisive steps to tackle the state’s complex insecurity by implementing sweeping changes in the nation’s military leadership and setting clear expectations for them.
