Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has appealed for renewed diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and the United States amid escalating security tensions triggered by recent comments from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Adeleke, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, urged both nations to pursue peaceful dialogue rather than allow tensions to worsen. His remarks followed Trump’s threat of possible military intervention in Nigeria over alleged killings of Christians.
Governor Adeleke stressed that constructive diplomacy, anchored in decades of cooperation between Abuja and Washington, remains the only sustainable path.
“I appeal to the Presidency of the United States to support Nigeria in fully implementing its new national security strategy,” Adeleke said, describing the framework as robust and capable of tackling banditry, terrorism, and communal violence nationwide.
He extended condolences to families affected by violent attacks in northern Nigeria and called on the U.S. to deepen its assistance to Nigeria’s counterterrorism operations.
According to the governor, Trump’s remarks should serve as a wake-up call for Nigeria to intensify security reforms in partnership with global allies.
“We need our international partners to expand their support for Nigerian security agencies,” Adeleke noted. “Peaceful engagement between Abuja and Washington is the key—not military intervention.”
Adeleke also commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for taking diplomatic steps to ease tensions with Washington and address legitimate concerns raised by Western governments.
“This is the time for national unity,” he said. “We must rally around our leadership to confront threats facing our citizens. Nigeria needs peace, not war, to strengthen our democracy and protect our people.”
Meanwhile, President Trump on Sunday reaffirmed the possibility of U.S. military action in Nigeria, citing alleged attacks on Christian communities. When asked by reporters aboard Air Force One whether he was considering air strikes or troop deployment, Trump responded: “Could be, I envisage a lot of things.”
Trump also revealed on Truth Social that he had directed the Pentagon to prepare a potential attack plan, insisting that Christianity faced “an existential threat” in Nigeria. He warned that any U.S. response would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
Reacting to the escalating rhetoric, presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala told AFP that Nigeria remains a strategic partner of the United States in the global fight against terrorism.
“Nigeria welcomes U.S. support to combat terrorism, provided it respects our territorial integrity,” Bwala said. He suggested that Trump’s comments may have been intended to push for a high-level meeting between the two leaders.
According to Bwala, Presidents Tinubu and Trump could meet soon to align on security priorities and address concerns over religious violence in the country.
Tinubu has repeatedly dismissed claims of systemic targeting of Christians, insisting that Nigeria’s long-standing religious tolerance remains intact.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” the President said.
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