Tinubu Will Soon Appoint Ambassadors, Says Information Minister

Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, has said President Bola Tinubu will soon appoint ambassadors to lead Nigerian missions abroad.

He urged Nigerians to resist religious division and unite against rising insecurity in the country.

He also warned that framing the nation’s security crisis as a state-backed “Christian genocide” is false, dangerous, and capable of tearing the country apart.

THE WHISTLER reports that his comments come amidst recent terrorist attacks and rising insecurity in the country which spiked after the United States President, Donald Trump, threatened military attacks over what he described as “Christian Genocide” in Nigeria.

Speaking on Channels Televisions Politics Today on Friday, Idris condemned the spread of narratives suggesting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is complicit in the attacks on Christians, stressing that the security challenges facing Nigeria are neither religious nor government-sponsored.

“It’s really sad if people cannot even come together. We need to be careful. We need to come together as a people. This is not a time to divide ourselves. This is a time for unity, for us to come together so that we can fight this once and for all.

“Nigerians have historically lived side by side, Christian and Muslim. We will continue to do that. We will come out of this by God’s grace.

“Any loss of life either Christian, Muslim or otherwise is unacceptable. But to characterise this crisis as an attempt to exterminate one religion is not only false, it is dangerous,” he said.

Idris emphasized that both Christians and Muslims have long been victims of insurgents, bandits and criminal networks operating across various regions, adding that misrepresenting the situation risks worsening tensions.

He stated that President Tinubu remains “deeply concerned” about the recent killings and has been overhauling the nation’s security framework through the appointment of new service chiefs, deployment of fresh strategies, and intensified operations.

According to Idris, security agencies have neutralised over 13,500 terrorists and criminals and arrested upwards of 17,000 others since May 2023, with several suspects behind recent attacks already facing prosecution.

Responding to claims that the government is targeting Christians, Idris pointed to the religious diversity of the administration and the security leadership.

“You have a Christian Chief of Defence Staff, a Christian Inspector General of Police, a Christian DSS head, a Christian Secretary to the Government. How can anyone say the government is ordering the killing of Christians?” he asked.

He also addressed concerns over Nigeria’s listing by the U.S. as a country of “particular concern”, confirming that National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu is currently in Washington for high-level engagements to reinforce security and diplomatic relations.

“What we feel is that there is no proper understanding of what the situation is on the side of America. This is why the president has directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu to go and meet them.

“The government of Nigeria is saying, let’s also go there and meet them and discuss. There are channels of communication already opened between Nigeria and America, especially after this designation.” he said.

Idris dismissed suggestions that the Tinubu administration is weak or indifferent, arguing that the recent spike in attacks appears “too coincidental” with ongoing U.S.–Nigeria discussions.

He added that the attacks should not be interpreted as a collapse in security strategy and that the government is absolutely not losing its grip on security.

“Is this government losing grip? Absolutely not. A spike in insecurity does not in any way suggest that this government is not doing enough. There is strategy in it.

“I’m in touch with the security agencies myself, and I know there is so much happening behind the scenes that cannot be disclosed on national TV. Operations are ongoing. Arrests have been made and some hostages will be reunited with their families soon,” said Idris.

He further assured that ambassadors will soon be appointed to strengthen Nigeria’s global engagements and reiterated that security remains President Tinubu’s top priority.

“The President has given clear directives to bring this situation under control. We are committed to protecting every Nigerian life, but we need unity not division to win this war,” he stressed.