The Presidency Sunday said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is well ahead of  what it described as the orchestrated game unfolding in America.

It also said the Nigerian leader and President Donald Trump would meet soon to iron out issues around the claim of genocide against the Nigerian Christians, made by the U.S. government.

The federal government and some notable Christian leaders, including Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto Diocese, had at different times clarified that Christians were not selectively killed as claimed by the right-wing U.S. lawmakers, led by Senator Ted Cruz.

Notwithstanding the clarification, the Trump-led government consistently maintained a hard line with the recent being a threat to halt the trend and also ensure stoppage of further aid to Nigeria.

Specifically, Trump, who described Nigeria as a country of particular concern, also  threatened that the United States “may very well go into that now disgraced country guns-a-blazing, to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists killing Christians.”

 “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. 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. When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!

“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me,” claimed the U.S. President.

…Presidency

But in a reaction, the Presidency said Tinubu had anticipated the increasing trend of the international attention on Nigeria’s security situation, hence his charge to the new service chiefs.

In a post Sunday on his X handle, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy,  Bayo Onanuga, wrote: “President Bola Tinubu was well ahead of the orchestrated game unfolding in America as he told the new service chiefs on Thursday what Nigerians expect of them. No more excuses, he said. Nigerians want results.”

The presidential spokesman further shared excerpts of President Tinubu’s address during the inauguration of the new service chiefs.

He recalled it thus: “Security threats are constantly evolving, constantly mutating. Of grave concern to our administration is the recent emergence of new armed groups in the North-Central, North-West, and parts of the South. We must not allow these new threats to fester. We must be decisive and proactive. Let us smash the new snakes right in the head.”

…Tinubu, Trump meet

Similarly, on his X handle, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said both President Tinubu and his American counterpart will meet to thrash out issues around the controversial genocide claim.

According to him, the planned parley  is to  focus on counter-terrorism cooperation and clarifying misconceptions about the nature of terrorist attacks in Nigeria.

He wrote: “Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interests in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity.”

Continuing, he said: “President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorising the sale of arms, and President Tinubu has adequately utilised that opportunity in the fight against terrorism, with massive results to show for it.

“As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or all faiths, those would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days, either in the State House or White House.”

…Sharia Council/CSOs caution

Bu sounding a note of caution however, the Kaduna state chapter of  the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN), urged Nigerians to avoid any intervention to cause  religious feud among them.

Secretary of the Council, Engineer Hassan Abdul Rahman, accused the Trump-led U.S.  of  “one-sided narrative.”

In a statement Sunday, Abdul Rahman said: “The Council is not happy with this development on allegations regarding Christian genocide in Nigeria.

“The Trump administration should have sought a balanced perspective on the situation before jumping to conclusions.”

“The government must do more than issue statements through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Stern action must be taken, even if it means cutting diplomatic ties, to show the gravity of the situation,” it said.

They noted that the country’s security challenge is a product of “a complex web of ethnic, political, and economic challenges,” and not in any way targeted at Christians.

He said: “By statistics, it’s clear that Muslims are mostly the victims in various instances…

“Attributing these tensions solely to religious motivations oversimplifies the realities on the ground and undermines efforts toward national unity and peace.”

Accusing Western powers of selective empathy, he said: “Wherever Muslims are killed, it doesn’t concern the West or the U.S.

“They always highlight issues affecting Christians while remaining silent on violence against Muslims. This bias breeds distrust and alienation among Muslim communities everywhere.”

While expressing dismay at the position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the raging controversy, the Council said: “To CAN, who initiated these lies, they should know that when Nigeria sinks may Allah forbid it’s all of us that will bear the brunt. Christians, Muslims, not even pagans will be spared.”

“Let us not allow foreign lies to divide us. Through understanding, dialogue, and cooperation, Nigeria can overcome its challenges and build a peaceful future for all.

“We advocate for unity among Nigeria’s diverse religious groups as a means to combat the violence plaguing the nation.

“We must solve our differences without inviting bloodthirsty imperialists to destroy the only nation we have,” the statement further added.

…CSOs too

Similarly, the coalition of civil societies, non-governmental organisations, self-determination and public interests groups under the banner of Coalition for Good Governance (CGG), also took exception to the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern.

In a statement issued Sunday   at the end an emergency meeting in Lagos, the group said it was  “shocked, pained, insulted, abused and traumatized by the brazen, irresponsible, insensitive, provocative, reckless, bullish and condemnable designation and threat of invasion by President Donald Trump of the United States of America.”

 The statement, signed by one of its leaders, Nelson Ekujumi, demanded “an unreserved public apology from President Trump to the government and people of Nigeria for his irresponsible, provocative, wrongful and condemnable designation and threat of invasion which is crude, barbaric and an assault on the sovereignty of the Nigerian State.”

“We are at a loss to rationalize or explain where in the American constitution, President Trump derived the powers or authority to issue threat of invasion and designation of Nigeria on religious lines on the basis of our security challenges,” the statement said.

It said: “Nigeria and America share a long history of mutual friendship cooperation and assistance which does not warrant the irresponsible, reckless, disrespectful, provocative talk down on and the threat of invasion by the American President.”

The coalition admonished the American President “to get his facts right on the security situation in the country which is being frontally tackled by the government and security agencies because the primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of its citizens, and urge him not to be misled to exhibit the character of crudity, barbarism and stone age despotism which his comment represents.”

Ekujumi stated that “What the Nigerian government and people need at this critical moment of its political and economic re-engineering for peace, progress and prosperity by the President Bola Tinubu administration, is for the American government and other progressive countries, institutions and partners, to provide it with needed assistance, support, encouragement, cooperation and collaboration to overcome its challenges which are surmountable.”

 …Nigeria ‘ll defend its integrity – FFK

Also in his intervention, a former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, described Trump’s  comments as provocative and unjustified.

In an article published online by Blueprint, the former presidential spokesman, called on the federal government as well as the citizens to treat the issue with seriousness and unity.

“Imagine a recalcitrant and unrepentant schoolyard and dockside bully like President Donald Trump threatening our country with violence, military action and invasion. What a nerve!” he wrote

Writing further, the former minister said: “Our government and people must recognise this for what it is and rise to the challenge.

“We must unite, close our ranks, bury our differences and jointly resist the bullies with contempt, defiance, faith and courage. They shall not conquer us and we shall never bow before them.

“There is no doubt that both Muslims and Christians are being subjected to genocide by Western and Israeli-backed terrorist groups like Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, Ansaru and ISWAP in our country.

“This is a matter of concern and with no international support, our security forces have made progress against them in the last two years.”