The meeting is part of ongoing consultations to promote interfaith unity and national cohesion in response to international concerns over religious freedoms.

The meeting, conducted in the President’s first-floor office at the State House, also included National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, according to multiple reports from the presidency and media outlets. 

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed the engagement, describing it as a key step in President Tinubu’s broader outreach to religious and traditional leaders.  

The discussions come amid heightened global scrutiny following the United States’ designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for alleged religious persecution and human rights abuses, a label renewed under President Donald Trump and firmly rejected by the Nigerian government.

Information Minister Mohammed Idris, who met with Tinubu earlier in the week, called the claims “false and untrue,” emphasizing that the administration is actively addressing multifaceted security challenges like terrorism and banditry that affect all citizens regardless of faith.  

As President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and spiritual leader of Nigeria’s Muslim community, the Sultan Abubakar’s presence alongside Speaker Abbas, a prominent northern Muslim lawmaker highlighted a unified approach to countering divisive narratives.  

Sources described the session as “crucial,” focusing on strategies to foster religious tolerance and inclusive governance, with no official communiqué released immediately afterward.  

This follows a similar closed-door meeting earlier in the week with Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, underscoring Tinubu’s commitment to engaging faith leaders across divides.

The engagements align with the Federal Executive Council’s recent approval of over ₦400 billion for nationwide infrastructure and security enhancements, including road projects and anti-terrorism initiatives.