By: Sunday Ameh
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will no longer travel to the United States for a reported diplomatic engagement with U.S. President Donald Trump, high-level presidency sources confirmed on Monday.
Contrary to earlier reports that Tinubu would visit Washington, insiders revealed that discussions between the Nigerian presidency and the White House are ongoing but that no in-person meeting has been scheduled yet.
Instead, Tinubu is now expected to attend the upcoming G-20 Summit in Durban, South Africa, on November 20, which has been identified as a likely venue for a face-to-face meeting with Trump.
“There are no plans for President Tinubu to travel to Washington for now,” a senior government source said. “Talks between both governments are ongoing, but a physical meeting has not been confirmed. The G-20 Summit in South Africa is the most viable option being considered.”
Earlier statements by Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Media, had suggested that Tinubu and Trump would meet “in the coming days,” either in Abuja or Washington, to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism and global security.
This comes as U.S. President Trump recently designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” and threatened to halt aid and potentially deploy U.S. troops to Nigeria if attacks on Christians persist.
Trump had warned that the U.S. military could intervene “guns-blazing” to “wipe out terrorists” responsible for killings in Nigeria.
However, the Nigerian government has rejected suggestions of religious persecution, insisting that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees freedom of worship and that the administration is committed to protecting citizens of all faiths.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” President Tinubu stated in response. “We do not support nor encourage religious persecution.”
Tinubu added that reports portraying Nigeria as religiously intolerant do not reflect the country’s reality and reaffirmed his government’s willingness to work with international partners to safeguard all communities.
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