Tinubu has approved the Nigerian side of the US Nigeria Joint Working Group as part of efforts to strengthen security cooperation between both countries.
The decision followed the recent visit of a high level Nigerian delegation to Washington DC, led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. A statement issued on Thursday explained that Ribadu will lead the Nigerian team and will work with senior officials drawn from key government institutions.
The group includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Bernard Doro. Others are the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Olufemi Oluyede, Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
According to the statement, “Ms Idayat Hassan of the Office of the National Security Adviser and Paul Alabi of the Embassy of Nigeria in the US will serve as the secretariat”.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, added that Tinubu has directed members of the team to work closely with their American counterparts in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the agreements reached during the Washington engagements.
Nigeria’s security challenges have attracted global attention in recent years, including when former United States President Donald Trump alleged that Christians were being targeted in Nigeria, claiming he could send troops to intervene. The Nigerian government dismissed the claim and maintained that measures were being taken to address insecurity.
Tinubu later assured that the safety of Nigerians remains a priority for his administration and restated the country’s commitment to religious freedom.
In the United States, the House Subcommittee on Africa also reviewed Nigeria’s redesignation as a Country of Particular Concern on November 21, with witnesses presenting different views on the killings recorded across parts of the country.
