Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu, stated that any military operation by the United States in Nigeria without the clear permission of the Federal Government would be diplomatically unacceptable.
In an interview with the BBC World Service on Monday, Bwala emphasized that Nigeria is a sovereign nation, and therefore, any foreign involvement in its internal security matters must be done collaboratively and with respect for the country’s territorial integrity.
This statement follows an earlier action by US President Donald Trump, who had designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” due to the alleged persecution of Christians, and warned that Nigeria risked losing US aid if it failed to address its security issues.
This section of the interview refers to President Trump’s threat to deploy America’s “Department of War” against terrorist groups he claimed were targeting Christians in Nigeria.
In response, Daniel Bwala said that Trump’s remarks were largely misunderstood, and he expressed confidence that the issue would be clarified when President Tinubu meets with his US counterpart soon.
Bwala also took the opportunity to praise Trump for authorizing arms sales to Nigeria during his first term, calling it a positive sign of goodwill.
