The Presidency has dismissed claims circulating on social media that President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to travel to the United States for a meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described the report as “false and misleading.”
In a statement posted on his official X handle on Monday, Ajayi said the publication had triggered unnecessary public debate based on misinformation.
“There’s a Sahara Reporters story that President Tinubu is going to the U.S. on Tuesday to see U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. That story is not true,” Ajayi stated.
“If President Tinubu is going to the White House, he won’t be going to see a Vice President.”
The clarification followed claims that the President was travelling to Washington for “top-level diplomatic engagements,” particularly in response to rising global attention over alleged attacks on Christians in Nigeria.
The controversy intensified after former U.S. President Donald Trump, in a recent post on his Truth Social account, warned that the United States may take military action if the Nigerian government fails to curb alleged killings of Christians.
Trump wrote: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go in, guns blazing… It will be fast, vicious, and sweet.”
However, President Tinubu, in a separate statement over the weekend, rejected the narrative of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
He reaffirmed that the Nigerian Constitution provides for freedom of religion and that his administration remains committed to peace and coexistence.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” Tinubu said.
“Since 2023, our administration has maintained open engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges affecting citizens across all regions.”
The President maintained that portraying Nigeria as religiously intolerant misrepresents the country’s longstanding culture of coexistence.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality. Religious freedom and tolerance have always been part of our collective identity,” he added.
Tinubu also expressed readiness to continue working with the United States and other partners to promote peace and safeguard communities of all faiths.
“Our administration remains committed to strengthening cooperation with the U.S. government and the international community to protect citizens and ensure peaceful coexistence,” he said.
The Presidency urged the public to disregard the travel rumour and rely on verified information.
