BY Jemilat Nasiru
The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump had a telephone conversation with his Nigerian counterpart.
The US leader spoke with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, and Femi Adesina, Buhari’s spokesman, released details of the conversation.
Adesina said Trump endorsed the anti-graft war of the Buhari administration and promised to support the fight against insurgency.
He added that the US president invited Buhari to Washington DC, but those who were skeptical demanded a confirmation from US authorities.
Speaking at a briefing, Sean Spicer, White House press secretary and communications director, acknowledged that Trump spoke with Buhari on Monday.
He added that the US president also communicated with the presidents of Tunisia, Peru, Colombia and South Africa.
“In addition to his in-person meetings with the prime ministers of Japan and Canada, the president also recently had phone calls with the presidents of Tunisia, Peru, Nigeria, Colombia and South Africa,” Spicer said.
Spicer said the readouts were available, but TheCable could not access that of Nigeria on the website of the White House.
Prior to Spicer’s confirmation, there were different reactions, particularly on social media.
Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, had described as undiplomatic, the request that the audio containing the conversation should be released.
“I don’t think it is permitted in international diplomacy. I think if we had recorded Mr Trump in this conversation, it would have offended our diplomatic relations,” he had told Channels Television.
“I think the Americans themselves would not have recorded this conversation of president to president.”
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