The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said President Bola Tinubu remains calm and focused despite threats of military action from United States President Donald Trump over alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Speaking with journalists after meeting the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday, November 4, Idris said Tinubu would not be distracted by external pressures but is instead committed to strengthening national security and promoting unity across religious and ethnic lines.
“Mr President is calm. He is looking at the whole situation; he is looking at the ways and means of ensuring that the international community understands what we have been doing,” Idris said.
The minister explained that Tinubu had already taken bold steps to reinforce Nigeria’s security framework, including the recent appointment of new service chiefs and a chief of defence staff.
“Only last week or two weeks ago, Mister President in his own desire to rekindle the security architecture of the country, reinvigorated the hierarchy of the armed forces. A new chief of defence staff and other service chiefs were appointed,” he said.
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He added that Nigeria is working to correct global misconceptions about its internal challenges, stressing that dialogue with world powers, including the United States, remains ongoing.
“We are looking at all the issues, and we don’t want to overheat the discussions. But work is ongoing, and we have also opened channels of communication so that the international community will understand what Nigeria has been doing better, and also what we intend to further do,” Idris stated.
“Mister President is calm, he is taking this of course very seriously. All those that should look at these issues are looking at them with all the responsibility and depth that they require,” he added.
Trump had, in a post on his Truth Social platform, claimed that Christians in Nigeria were under attack and directed the Pentagon to “map out a plan of attack” if killings continue.
He warned that such an attack would be “fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians.”
Trump’s statement, which he later reaffirmed aboard Air Force One, has triggered widespread condemnation and diplomatic discussions globally.