The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has refuted claims that the President is set to travel to the United States on Tuesday to meet with US Vice President J.D. Vance.
In a post on his official X handle on Monday, Ajayi dismissed the report as false and misleading, accusing its publishers of stirring unnecessary speculation and “uninformed commentaries.”
Ajayi clarified that if such a visit were scheduled, President Tinubu would meet with President Donald Trump, not the Vice President.
“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,” Ajayi wrote.
The clarification followed media reports suggesting that Tinubu planned to travel to Washington for “top-level diplomatic engagements,” amid global reactions to alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria and a recent controversial post by US President Donald Trump threatening possible military action.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social account, warned that the United States could “go in guns blazing” if Nigeria failed to stop the alleged killings of Christians.
“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,” Trump said.
In response, President Tinubu over the weekend dismissed claims of a “Christian genocide,” stressing that Nigeria remains a democracy committed to religious freedom and equality for all citizens.
He reaffirmed that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and that his administration continues to engage both Christian and Muslim leaders to promote unity and tackle insecurity.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” Tinubu stated.
“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.”
Tinubu rejected external portrayals of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant nation, describing them as inaccurate and unreflective of the country’s diversity.
“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,” he said.
Reiterating that religious tolerance is central to Nigeria’s identity, Tinubu pledged continued collaboration with the United States and other international partners to protect 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,” the President affirmed.
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