The Presidency has hinted of a possible meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the United States President, Donald Trump, on the raging controversy over the alleged killing of Christians in Nigeria.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Mr Daniel Bwala, dropped the hint on Sunday barely 24 hours after Tinubu himself personally opposed the tagging of Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ by Trump.
Taking to his X handle, @BwalaDaniel, the presidential aide said both leaders could either meet at the State House or the White House to have an elaborate discussion on whether attacks by terrorists and other criminal elements in Nigeria were targeted at Christians only.
ALSO READ: ‘Nigeria’s Democracy Under A Grave Threat’ —Gbenga-Hashim Vows To Defend Multiparty Democracy
He also acknowledged the United States’ role in supporting Nigeria’s anti-terror war, noting that the two leaders shared a common interest in seeing to the end of such violent killings and destruction across the globe.
The presidential aide wrote, “Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity.
“President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorising the sale of arms to Nigeria and President Tinubu has adequately utilised the opportunity in the fight against terrorism for which we have massive results to show for it.
“As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or in fact all faiths and no faiths, the differences, if they exist, would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days, either in the State House or White House.”
Earlier on Saturday, Tinubu had disagreed with the characterisation of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country, adding that all faiths were guaranteed the freedoms to practice under its constitution.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty”, Tinubu had stated in a tweet.
He said further, “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 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.
“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.
“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 protection of communities of all faiths.”
- Nigerian Tribune
