Abuja— November 3, 2025
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will on Tuesday depart Abuja for the United States on a high-stakes diplomatic mission as the storm over alleged Christian genocide and President Donald Trump’s “guns-blazing” invasion threat continues to rage.
Vanguard authoritatively learnt last night that Trump has delegated his Vice President, James David (JD) Vance, to hold face-to-face talks with Tinubu, barring any last-minute change of plan. 0 10
Presidential sources told Vanguard the visit is aimed at “top-level diplomatic engagements” to clear the air on security, counter-terrorism and the explosive religious freedom allegations now rocking Nigeria-US relations.
The trip comes barely 48 hours after Trump branded Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and warned: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid… and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists.”
Trump added: “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet.”
In a swift push-back on Saturday, President Tinubu fired a strongly-worded statement rejecting the genocide tag.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” the President declared.
He stressed: “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality… Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so.”
Tinubu, a Muslim married to a Christian pastor, reminded the world that since 2023 his administration has kept open channels with Christian and Muslim leaders alike while tackling insecurity “which affects citizens across faiths and regions.”
Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, had earlier hinted at an imminent Tinubu-Trump summit “either in the State House or White House.”
Bwala wrote on X: “Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity.”
He praised Trump for authorising arms sales to Nigeria, adding: “President Tinubu has adequately utilised that opportunity… with massive results to show for it.”
Bwala assured that “differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or in fact all faiths” will be ironed out when the two leaders meet.
Sources in the Presidency told Vanguard the Tuesday trip is part of that broader engagement, with Vance — Trump’s Catholic running mate — stepping in for the principal.
Diplomatic circles in Abuja and Washington are buzzing that the Vance-Tinubu meeting will focus on:
- Joint counter-terrorism operations against Boko Haram and ISWAP
- Fresh US military hardware and intelligence support
- Rebuttal of the “Christian genocide” narrative
- A road-map to delist Nigeria from the CPC blacklist
A top Villa source said: “Mr President is going with facts, figures and field reports to prove that no faith is targeted. Farmers-herders clashes, banditry and insurgency cut across Muslims and Christians alike.”
The source added: “We expect VP Vance to carry our message directly to President Trump. Nigeria remains America’s strongest partner in West Africa.”
As the presidential jet revs up for Tuesday’s departure, Nigerians are watching to see if the Washington talks will defuse Trump’s war drum or trigger fresh sanctions, aid cuts — or worse.
