THE Federal Government has said President Bola Tinubu would visit the White House when the “situation is right,” dismissing insinuations that the president is avoiding Washington amid recent diplomatic tensions triggered by United States President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and his Christian genocide claim in the African most populous nation.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, on Friday, November 21, the Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, said there was no breakdown in Nigeria–US relations, insisting that both countries were actively engaging on the issues raised by the Trump administration.
Addressing questions on why Tinubu had yet to visit the White House, he said the president was not avoiding the US and that diplomatic timing mattered.
“Well, we believe that he will go once the situation is right for him to go. But he has been to America. I mean, I was with him at the U.N. when he took office,” the minister said.
The ICIR reports that Tinubu took over power on May 29, 2023, while Trump was sworn in on January, 20, 2025.
When pressed specifically about a White House visit, he added: “I believe that he will do that. I believe that. But let’s not make a deal out of it. The fact is that these countries are engaging. America is engaging Nigeria. Nigeria is engaging America.”
He stressed that ongoing diplomatic activities demonstrated that ties between both nations remained strong.
“No, our relationship hasn’t broken down, it hasn’t. If it has broken down, I mean, I can confirm to you that there are diplomatic engagements happening between Nigeria and the United States and other countries,” he said.
According to him, the core issue is a ‘misunderstanding’ on the American side about Nigeria’s internal security challenges.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of broken down. I think it’s a matter for us to engage America so that they can understand this more. What we feel is that there is no proper understanding of what the situations are in America” he stated.
He confirmed that National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu is currently leading a delegation in Washington for talks after Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
“The fact that they (Ribadu and others) are in America indicates that there are channels of communication that have already been opened between Nigeria and America to deal with this matter, especially after this designation by President Trump,” he said.
Fielding questions on whether Tinubu and Trump had spoken directly, he emphasised that leader-to-leader communication follows diplomatic protocols.
He also expressed confidence that future communication between the two presidents was not off the table.
“I don’t think it’s something impossible to say that President Trump is not going to talk to President Tinubu, or President Tinubu is not going to talk to President Trump,” he stated.
Idris said the Federal Government was doing everything possible to contain insecurity in Nigeria. He explained that followers of both Christian and Islamic faiths had been victims of insecurity.
He said it was painful that the crisis was escalating when the nation was beginning to reap the benefits of the economic policies of the administration.
He argued that Nigeria was not helpless in tackling insecurity but needed the support of the US and other nations to defeat terrorism and related causes of insecurity facing the nation.
The minister also informed that Tinubu shelved his planned trips to Angola and South Africa to ensure the nation’s security forces return peace to the country, especially communities where gunmen had recently whisked away schoolchildren and worshippers in church.
He gave the assurance that the president’s actions on the recent spate of abductions and general insecurity would yield fruits in the coming days.
He, however, affirmed that Trump’s alarm could have escalated the tensions and recent attacks.
Idris urged Nigerians to remain firm and united in the face of the challenges. He pledged that the Tinubu administration would lead the nation of the crisis.
The ICIR reports that the remarks came as Ribadu led a high-powered delegation to the US following renewed allegations of Christian genocide claims that gained traction in the last few weeks.
The situation escalated earlier this month when Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and tasked a group of US lawmakers, including Congressman Riley Moore, to investigate alleged religious persecution in Nigeria.
Trump threatened that he was considering military intervention in Nigeria if nothing was done to stop the killings.
Despite the Nigerian government’s efforts to dismiss the claims, the US pressed ahead, culminating in a development on Tuesday, November 18, when American rapper Nicki Minaj was invited to testify at the United Nations against Nigeria in an event co-hosted by the US Mission to the UN.
Similarly, the Nigerian delegation on Wednesday held a detailed meeting with Congressman Moore, who reportedly released a statement describing the engagement as “frank, honest, and productive.”
Moore said the Nigerian officials shared extensive information on counterterrorism efforts, security assistance, and protection of vulnerable communities.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M