The Presidency has dismissed reports claiming that President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to visit the United States this week for a meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
In a statement posted on Monday via his official X handle, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described the report as false and misleading. He said the story, initially published by Sahara Reporters, had sparked unnecessary speculation and uninformed commentary.
Ajayi clarified that if President Tinubu were to visit the White House, his engagement would be with President Donald Trump, not the Vice President.
He wrote, “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.”
The clarification followed widespread reports suggesting that Tinubu was set to travel to Washington for “top-level diplomatic engagements,” amid rising global attention on allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria and a recent warning from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social account on Saturday, threatened possible military action if the Nigerian government failed to address the alleged killing of Christians.
He said, “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.”
In response to the growing controversy, President Tinubu denied any claims of a “Christian genocide,” reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to democracy, religious freedom, and equality for all citizens.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” Tinubu said in a statement on his X handle.
He added, “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 President also rejected external portrayals of Nigeria as religiously intolerant, describing them as inaccurate and unrepresentative of the nation’s reality.
“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 remains a core national value, Tinubu affirmed, “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.”
He further pledged to continue collaborating with the United States and other international partners to promote mutual understanding and 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,” Tinubu stated.