The Presidency has dismissed reports suggesting that President Bola Tinubu will travel to the United States this week to meet with Vice President J.D. Vance over the recent designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
Presidential aide Temitope Ajayi described the claim as false and misleading. He said it had already triggered “uninformed commentaries” across online platforms.
In a statement obtained by TVC on Monday, Ajayi clarified that if President Tinubu were to visit Washington at all, it would be for a meeting with President Donald Trump — not the Vice President.
Ajayi wrote, “There is a Sahara Reporters story that President Tinubu is going to the US on Tuesday to see US Vice President J.D. Vance. That story is not true. I can see that the fake news 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 comes amid renewed diplomatic unease between Abuja and Washington following Trump’s comments designating Nigeria a nation of “particular concern” over alleged Christian persecution.
However, media reports indicate talks between Abuja and Washington are ongoing, but no direct face to face summit is scheduled at this time except for the G-20 Summit in Durban on November 20 in which both leaders are likely to meet and have a discussion.
That prospect appears to be the reason a direct Washington visit has been put on hold.
FG Rejects Trump’s Claims of Religious Persecution
Last week, the Federal Government rejected President Trump’s comments accusing Nigeria of widespread persecution of Christians and warning of potential US action.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed,” insisting that radical Islamist groups are behind what he called “mass slaughter.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushed back strongly on Saturday. It said Trump’s assertions do not reflect Nigeria’s realities and risk inflaming religious tensions at a sensitive moment.
Officials argued that Nigeria continues to combat terrorism in all forms and does not target any religious group. They also stressed that insecurity in the country affects both Christians and Muslims across different regions.
For now, the Presidency insists no meeting with Vice President Vance is scheduled — and that any engagement with Washington on the issue will follow diplomatic protocol.
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