President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday held a closed-door meeting with the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid heightened international attention following remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump on Nigeria’s religious situation.
The meeting, described by Presidency sources as “crucial and strategic,” took place in the President’s first-floor office and was part of ongoing consultations with key religious and traditional leaders. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, accompanied the Sultan to the Villa.
This development comes just days after President Tinubu met with the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, also at the State House — a move insiders say is aimed at promoting religious harmony and addressing concerns raised in the wake of Trump’s comments.
Last Friday, Trump, through a post on his Truth Social platform, announced that he had redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)”, citing what he described as “an existential threat to Christianity.”
“Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ — but that is the least of it,” Trump wrote, adding that the U.S. “may conduct a military operation in the country if killings of Christians continue.”
In response, the Nigerian government strongly rejected Trump’s claims, insisting that the nation’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and that ongoing security challenges cut across faith lines. Officials described Trump’s remarks as “misguided and unhelpful.”
According to government insiders, Friday’s meeting between Tinubu and the Sultan sought to reinforce interfaith unity and present a coordinated national front against what officials consider an attempt to “unfairly brand Nigeria as a religiously intolerant nation.”
Meanwhile, former Bayelsa State Governor and serving Senator, Seriake Dickson, has publicly supported parts of Trump’s statement, describing it as “a wake-up call to action.”
In a statement titled “Alleged Genocide: My Stance on President Trump’s Statement,” Dickson emphasized that while Nigeria’s sovereignty must be upheld, the country should also embrace global cooperation to tackle terrorism and restore peace.
He lamented the widespread violence that has plagued Nigeria for over a decade, citing the activities of Boko Haram, ISWAP, ISIS, and al-Qaeda, among others.
“Both Christians and Muslims have been victims,” Dickson said. “Places of worship — churches, mosques, and even palaces — have been attacked. Schoolchildren have been kidnapped, killed, or forced into marriage. The whereabouts of Leah Sharibu and many Chibok girls remain unknown.”
Friday’s high-level meeting marks the latest in a series of religious diplomacy efforts by President Tinubu’s administration, as it seeks to manage international perceptions and strengthen national cohesion amid renewed global scrutiny.