ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu is expected to meet with United States President Donald Trump in the coming days following heated comments from Washington alleging widespread persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The meeting, which may take place either in Abuja or Washington, comes at a delicate moment in bilateral relations after Trump threatened military action and suspension of U.S. support to Nigeria.
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, confirmed the planned engagement in a statement on X on Sunday, November 2, 2025, saying both leaders share a vested interest in fighting terrorism and extremism.
“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,” Bwala said.
He added that the discussion will help clarify differing perspectives on whether extremist groups in Nigeria target only Christians or citizens of varied religions.
“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 State House or White House,” he said.
The planned meeting follows a barrage of statements by Trump on Saturday, November 1, 2025, in which he accused Nigeria’s government of allowing attacks on Christian communities and warned that U.S. assistance would be halted if the situation continued.
Trump also directed the renamed Department of War to prepare for “possible action”.
The former U.S. president claimed the U.S. “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities”.
He did not specify the groups involved or provide evidence to support the claims.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” he wrote.
Trump also announced that Nigeria would be added to the U.S. list of “Countries of Particular Concern”, a designation reserved for nations accused of severe religious freedom violations.
Tinubu’s government has pushed back against the characterisation, insisting that Nigeria remains committed to religious freedom and that violence affects citizens across faiths.
Senior officials have emphasised that Nigeria will continue engaging Washington diplomatically.
Bwala described the upcoming meeting as an opportunity to reinforce cooperation in security operations and counter-terrorism partnerships.
“Both President Bola Tinubu and President Donald Trump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity,” he said.
