It’s inappropriate for US to launch military action in Nigeria without FG consent-Bwala

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has said it would be diplomatically unacceptable for the United States to carry out military operations in Nigeria without the approval of the federal government.

In an interview with BBC World Service, Bwala stressed that Nigeria remains a sovereign nation, adding that any foreign military intervention to tackle insecurity must be done in partnership with the country’s authorities.

His remarks follow recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who last Friday designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” over alleged persecution of Christians. Trump also accused the Nigerian government of failing to curb attacks on Christians, warning that the US could halt all aid to Nigeria if urgent action is not taken.

He further threatened to deploy the US Department of War to “wipe out terrorists targeting Christians in Nigeria”.

Reacting, Bwala said the former US president’s comments were being misunderstood and would be clarified when Trump and President Tinubu meet in the coming days.

He acknowledged Trump’s support during his first term in office, when he approved the sale of military hardware to Nigeria for the fight against insurgency. According to Bwala, the Tinubu administration also welcomes Trump’s renewed interest in supporting Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, provided such actions are informed by credible data rather than isolated incidents or misleading social media content.

“There is no genocide against Christians in Nigeria. What we have is insecurity affecting Nigerians of all faiths—Christians, Muslims, and non-religious groups alike,” he said.

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On whether the government would accept direct US military involvement as proposed by Trump, Bwala maintained that any operation must be a joint effort.

“If it is a joint action with the Nigerian government, that is fine, because Nigeria is a territorial and sovereign country,” he said. “Diplomatically, it is not right to enter a country militarily without collaboration, especially when that country is a partner in fighting insecurity.”

He added that unilateral intervention is only seen when a government is complicit in fuelling a crisis—an allegation he said does not apply to Nigeria.