The Federal Government has begun diplomatic discussions with the United States following President Donald Trump’s recent military threat against Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, confirmed the development during an interview on Sky News, saying that both nations are already in talks to ease tensions sparked by Trump’s remarks.
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“Channels of communication have been opened. I can confirm that we are talking with them, and I think they are understanding the situation better,” Idris said.
He explained that the Nigerian government is engaging through diplomatic means to correct what it described as “a misunderstanding” of the nation’s internal security issues.
The minister emphasized that the U.S. government is beginning to have a clearer view of the complexity of Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
“We believe that most of the information is a result of a lack of a proper understanding of the diversity and complexity of the problem we have at hand,” he added.
Idris further stated that Nigeria has not lost any territory to Boko Haram and that the ongoing battle against insurgents should not be mistaken for a conventional war.
He alleged that certain U.S.-based lobby groups have been misinforming Washington by working with elements of a proscribed separatist movement.
“Let me also put it out there that we are seeing a direct connection between (US) lobbyists and (a) proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria, and we have seen how they have set up this lobby in the US, contacting high-up people in the United States to help them to lobby,” Idris said.
According to him, the Nigerian government still values its relationship with the United States and seeks continued support in the fight against terrorism.
“What we are saying is that, yes, indeed, the situation is there. We have conflict in Nigeria. We have a security situation in Nigeria, but in the past, the United States government has helped Nigerian authorities to deal with this situation. So we are calling on them to partner with us once again, to help push this, and then we have peace once and for all in our country,” he stated.
The minister dismissed reports claiming that Nigeria practices religious persecution, insisting that the country remains a multi-faith nation with constitutional guarantees for freedom of worship.
“Some of the assumptions are based on data that largely cannot stand any scientific scrutiny,” he added.
Trump’s comments, which first appeared on his Truth Social platform on November 2, directed the Pentagon to draw up plans for possible military action against Nigeria.
The U.S. president had accused Nigerian authorities of failing to protect Christians, claiming that Christianity faced “an existential threat” in Africa’s most populous country.
Trump warned that if the Nigerian government does not act, the U.S. would intervene, saying the response “will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians.”
Two weeks later, while speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump again doubled down on his stance, hinting at possible troop deployment or air strikes. “Could be, I envisage a lot of things,” he said.
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