Viewpoint : Trump, CPC and Tinubu’s quiet diplomacy

by Bayo Olupohunda

In the wee hours on Christmas Day, President Donald Trump made good on his threat to go after the terrorists he accused of killing Christians in Nigeria. As the entire nation slept, American drones entered Nigeria’s airspace and launched a series of deadly airstrikes on terrorists’ hideouts and operations in Sokoto. In the days following the strikes, questions are still being asked about the precision of the strikes. There is also the controversy about casualty figures and why Sokoto was targeted instead of Bornu and other north-east states, which have been at the forefront of Nigeria’s terror war. In a statement after the airstrikes, President Trump announced that the mission was successful and promised there would be more strikes.

Since the crisis began in October, what has stood out most is how the two presidents at the centre of it have chosen to respond. While Trump’s approach has characteristically been belligerent, grandstanding with fiery rhetoric through his social media account, the Nigerian president’s strategy has been that of Quiet Diplomacy and behind-the-scenes negotiations, dialogue and engagement with the American government.

In October, President Trump, in a series of fiery tweets on his official Truth Social account, had accused the Nigerian government of Christian genocide and failure to protect its Christian population against attacks by terrorists. In the tweet, Trump called Nigeria a ‘disgraced country’ and threatened to send the military guns-a-blazing to wipe out the terrorists he accused of killing Nigerian Christians if the killings did not stop. Amidst the heated rhetoric from the US president, members of his cabinet and a number of Republican Congressmen pressured the Capitol to pass a resolution designating Nigeria as a country of particular concern. In another follow-up statement, the American president subsequently re-categorised Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).

On November 1 and 2, President Tinubu issued a calm and measured statement rejecting Trump’s allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria. The President assured the world that Nigeria is a secular democracy with constitutional provisions for religious freedom. President Tinubu pointed out that insecurity arises from long-standing historical security issues that affect both Christians and Muslims. Tinubu’s first official statement on the crisis was straightforward and respectful. While he did not directly address President Trump, he acknowledged the United States President’s concern but said the characterisation was a misunderstanding of Nigeria’s security landscape, where terrorism and communal clashes affect many innocent Nigerians regardless of their faith.

What stood out in Tinubu’s response to Trump’s threats was in not indirectly addressing the US president. Rather, he focused on the issues. He did not attempt to prove Trump wrong nor attack his character. Instead, he highlighted the provisions of Nigeria’s constitution that guarantee religious freedom and also emphasised Nigeria’s diversity and interfaith co-existence. Whether his standpoint is true or not, the president was able to avoid a diplomatic standoff with the United States throughout the episode.

Throughout the crisis, President Tinubu made sure Nigeria was not isolated. Behind his public statements, his government engaged with the Americans. The national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, travelled to the United States to meet with top US officials, including the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to discuss the crisis directly. These engagements took place behind the scenes and were not reported as public confrontations. They demonstrated the Tinubu administration’s readiness to constructively engage with the United States government. At the same time, Nigeria’s foreign ministry also echoed the same narrative from the presidency.

The central message was Nigeria’s willingness to resolve the issue and not to fight over narratives. They emphasised that Nigeria was ready to work with the US to tackle terrorism and protect its citizens. Many religious and political leaders backed the president, pointing out that the killings were carried out by criminals and extremist groups and not by the Nigerian state against any specific religious group. The West African umbrella socio-political and economic group ECOWAS also issued a statement rejecting allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria. The group said the violence in Nigeria was complex and should not be narrowed to the persecution of any religious group.

Tinubu’s Quiet Diplomacy was successful and effective for several reasons. At the start of the crisis, the Nigerian president appeared to have defined how his government would engage with the United States Republican-led administration’s belligerence and grandstanding. The benefits of President Tinubu’s diplomatic strategy were immediate. First, it prevented the situation from escalating any further. Indeed, the visit of Congressman Riley Moore to Nigeria on a fact-finding mission demonstrated both countries’ willingness to resolve the crisis. Riley’s account of his time in Nigeria was open, frank and exposed the horrors of the killings.

The fact that the Nigerian government encouraged Riley’s visit demonstrated openness on the part of the Nigerian government. Secondly, it allowed Nigeria to stay engaged with US leaders and institutions such as the US Congress rather than engage in shouting matches and public feuds. Thirdly, it demonstrated Nigeria’s willingness to partner with the international community rather than being lectured from afar. Critics of Trump’s approach of labelling Nigeria a country of particular concern argued that it was simplistic and harmful as it did not take into consideration the terror campaign of Boko Haram and their ISIS affiliate, ISWAP. International analysts have pointed out that the larger picture was to help end terrorism rather than limit it to a single narrative of religious persecution of Christians.

In the end, Tinubu’s quiet diplomacy paid off even as the crisis appeared to reach its climax on December 25, 2025, when the US launched a military strike against an insurgent camp in Sokoto state, north-west Nigeria. Trump said the strike was part of military action against insurgents targeting Christians. Nigeria confirmed it provided intelligence and approved the Sokoto operation. Both governments said the operation focused on terrorists and was part of an effort to fight violent extremism.

Here, too, in the aftermath of the strikes, the silent diplomacy of the president was evident. Nigeria did not publicly deny or distance itself from the operation even when it was carried out by a foreign power.

The foreign ministry stated that both the United States and Nigeria cooperated under established security cooperation to protect civilians from terror attacks and not to serve the interests of any group or a political agenda. The response to the crisis from inception to the Sokoto operation shows President Tinubu was playing the long game.

The president seems to understand that outright confrontation with global powers will not serve Nigeria’s interests in the long run. Through his administration’s constructive engagement, he has ensured Nigeria is part of the solution to terrorism rather than a country that protects terrorists.

The president’s strategy of quiet diplomacy over loud noise, grandstanding and confrontation ensured that the conversation is centred on cooperation and problem-solving. He did not ignore the concern raised by the Americans and the international community. Rather, he refined it to reflect Nigeria’s reality. His calm words assured international partners that Nigeria was serious about addressing insecurity while also reminding them of Nigeria’s constitutional values to protect all citizens and the shared threat of violent extremism.

This crisis has not yet disappeared; Nigeria is still confronted by serious security risks. But by handling the situation with sustained engagement, the president has shown that diplomacy works in tense moments.

Follow Bayo Olupohunda on X @BayoOlupohunda