Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has described recent United States military airstrikes against Islamist militants in the country as a “blessing,” indicating the Federal Government’s willingness to deepen security collaboration with Washington amid worsening insecurity.
Speaking to Fox News Digital during a week-long visit to Washington, Tinubu said the Christmas Day U.S. airstrikes targeting militant hideouts in Sokoto State were a welcome development as Nigeria grapples with insurgency, banditry and kidnappings across several regions.
“The intervention of the U.S. was quite a welcome development,” she said, adding that Nigeria expects expanded engagement. “Nigeria is looking forward to collaboration with the United States on security issues. We are expecting that there will be more.”
Her remarks come against the backdrop of renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s security challenges in U.S. political circles, particularly among allies of former President Donald Trump, who previously designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over alleged violations of religious freedom — a classification the administration of President Bola Tinubu has rejected.
Nigerian officials maintain that the violence, though severe, is not religiously targeted, stressing that both Muslim and Christian communities have suffered attacks. Tinubu cited recent killings in Kwara State, where gunmen believed to be Islamic extremists attacked Muslim-majority communities for resisting extremist ideology.
“Terrorist groups hide in the forest, and also bandits and other people are kidnapping for ransom,” the First Lady said. “We are concerned about our people’s safety.”
She outlined steps taken by the government to address insecurity, including the declaration of a national security emergency, plans to recruit 50,000 additional police officers, and the redeployment of over 11,000 personnel from VIP protection to frontline duties in conflict-affected areas.
Despite persistent criticism from Christian advocacy groups over attacks on rural Christian communities, Tinubu said the attention has helped open dialogue between Nigeria and the United States.
“We have that attention. We have the conversation going. And we are expecting that there will be more,” she said. “It’s going to yield better fruit for us, and both for us and also America.”
During meetings with senior U.S. officials, she said she sought to clarify Nigeria’s complex security realities. “We live in Nigeria. We know the situation on the ground,” she noted.
A former senator and ex–First Lady of Lagos State, Tinubu is an ordained Christian pastor, while her husband is Muslim — a pairing often cited as emblematic of Nigeria’s religious diversity.
She also leads the Renewed Hope Initiative, a social intervention platform aligned with the administration’s agenda.
Beyond security, Tinubu linked stability to economic recovery and foreign investment, noting growing U.S. interest in Nigeria’s deposits of lithium, cobalt and other critical minerals as Washington seeks to counter China’s dominance in Africa’s mineral sector.
“We’re doing all we can to make sure that when investors come, they can feel comfortable and their investment can yield,” she said.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with over 230 million people, continues to battle the legacy of corruption, economic mismanagement and insecurity, despite its vast natural resources. Tinubu said the administration, which assumed office in 2023, inherited deep-rooted challenges and is pursuing reforms to restore security and investor confidence.
The Atlantic Bell reports that violence linked to Islamist insurgents and criminal militias has claimed tens of thousands of lives over the past decade. Groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, alongside bandit networks, continue to destabilise large swathes of the country, fuelling humanitarian and security concerns at home and abroad.
