0
ABUJA – The United States President Donald Trump has acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s efforts in tackling insecurity, highlighting the administration’s latest onslaught on terrorist groups.
Trump in a letter to the presidency, which was released by Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, described the action against terrorists as decisive leadership “on behalf of the Nigerian people.”
Trump noted Tinubu’s resolve “to tackle the issues plaguing Nigeria, especially the violence affecting Christian communities.”
According to Trump: “It is a true honour to stand with you in the fight against these terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.”
He noted that the US-Nigeria relationship flourished in recent times, with the two sides working closely in key areas, especially in tackling security challenges afflicting parts of Nigeria.
Explaining further details of the bilateral relationship, Onanuga said in November last year, President Trump and President Tinubu agreed to establish a Joint Working Group co-headed by the National Security Advisers of Nigeria and the United States. Through the work of the working group, the two sides agreed on several steps, including training, intelligence sharing, and joint operations to roll back terrorist activities.
He said a highlight of the collaboration was the May 16 coordinated attack on ISIS hideouts in the Lake Chad area, which led to the killing of the group’s top leader, Abubakar Al-Minoki, and many of his lieutenants.
“Last week, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Frank Garcia, visited Abuja, where he held meetings with senior government officials and pledged to strengthen the cooperation between Abuja and Washington DC in security and other areas of collaboration,” Onanuga stated.
Trump’s letter also reads, “Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Your kind words mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people. I applaud your resolve to tackle the issues plaguing your nation, especially the violence affecting Christian communities and it is a true honour to stand with you in the fight against terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.
“The United States-Nigeria relationship is crucial at a time where conflict has spread across West Africa and around the world. We both share a mutual goal of confronting terrorism in all its forms, and our historic US-Nigeria 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap has established a robust framework to accomplish this feat.
“I am proud to have deployed the United States Special Operations Forces— among the most elite military units anywhere in the world—to equip the brave men and women in the Armed Forces of Nigeria with the skills, tools and intelligence they need to protect your homeland and ensure the safety and security of citizens, particularly those of faith who have been under attack. I look forward to our continued discussions over the course of my presidency.”
It would be recalled that Trump had once described Nigeria as a country of particular concerns following repeated cases of killing and kidnapping allegedly targeting the Christian community in Nigeria.
The development had caused a lot of controversies in Nigeria, prompting many stakeholders to call for an overhaul of the nation’s security architecture.
