By Joy Yesufu
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said it would be diplomatically unacceptable for the United States to carry out any military operation in Nigeria without the express consent of the Federal Government.
Bwala stated this during an interview with the BBC World Service on Monday, stressing that Nigeria remains a sovereign nation and that any foreign involvement in its internal security matters must be collaborative and consistent with international law.
His remarks followed recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who described Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over the alleged persecution of Christians and threatened to withhold American aid if the Nigerian government failed to address insecurity.
Trump had also hinted that the United States could deploy its “Department of War” against terrorist groups targeting Christians in the country.
Reacting, Bwala expresed confidence that the issue would be clarified when President Tinubu meets with Trump in the coming days.
He commended the US government for its past cooperation with Nigeria, noting that Trump’s first administration approved arms sales that boosted Nigeria’s counterterrorism operations.
“We are grateful to President Donald Trump because during his first term, he approved arms sales that strengthened Nigeria’s fight against insurgency,” Bwala said.
“In his second term, he has again shown interest in supporting the fight against Boko Haram, which we welcome but such efforts must rely on credible intelligence, not isolated reports or social media narratives.”
Responding to Trump’s warning of possible US military action, the presidential aide insisted that any such move must be done in partnership with Nigeria, not unilaterally.
“If it’s a joint operation with Nigeria, that’s acceptable. But diplomatically, it is wrong to invade a sovereign nation without collaboration especially one that remains a strategic partner in the global fight against insecurity,” he said.
He added that unilateral foreign intervention is only justifiable in cases where a government is complicit in violence or state collapse, a situation that, according to him, does not apply to Nigeria.
