Presidential aide Temitope Ajayi has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu is set to meet with United States Vice President J.D. Vance amid growing diplomatic tension over Nigeria’s redesignation on the US religious freedom watchlist.
In a statement posted on X, Ajayi clarified that the report circulating on social media was entirely untrue.
“There is a story that President Tinubu is going to the US on Tuesday to see US Vice President J.D. Vance. That story is not true,” he wrote. “If President Tinubu is going to the White House, he won’t be going to see a Vice President.”
Ajayi’s clarification followed reports alleging that former US President Donald Trump had delegated his deputy, Vice President J.D Vance, to meet with Tinubu “in the coming days” to discuss alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria.
The now-debunked report emerged shortly after Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” claiming the Nigerian government had failed to address rising attacks on Christians. Trump had also warned that he “would not rule out air strikes or boots on the ground” if the killings continued.
Tinubu’s special adviser on policy communication, Daniel Bwala, had earlier stated that the Nigerian leader was open to dialogue with the US to clarify the country’s position and ongoing efforts to restore security. He said both presidents were expected to meet “in the coming days,” either in Abuja or Washington, to address their “differences in perspective.”
Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy, also reiterated that the President has taken decisive steps to address insecurity, including restructuring the military leadership and strengthening intelligence coordination.
He maintained that Nigeria “remains a secular state that protects citizens of all faiths,” and the administration “will continue to defend the truth against exaggerated foreign narratives.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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