By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Nigeria, US Launch Joint Security Group as Tinubu Approves National Team
President Bola Tinubu has approved the Nigerian delegation for the newly established US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, a platform designed to strengthen security cooperation between both countries.
The team’s formation follows the recent high-level visit to Washington, D.C., led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, during which both sides agreed to deepen collaboration on pressing security issues.
According to a statement on Thursday, Ribadu will head the Nigerian side and will work with a broad team drawn from key government ministries and security agencies.
The group includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Bernard Doro; the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Idayat Hassan from the Office of the National Security Adviser and Paul Alabi from the Nigerian Embassy in the United States will serve as the group’s secretariat.
The statement issued by Presidential Adviser Bayo Onanuga noted that the President urged members of the working group to engage actively with their American counterparts to ensure that agreements reached across various sectors are implemented smoothly.
Nigeria’s security challenges have been a recurring subject of global concern in recent years.
At one point, former US President Donald Trump accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christian communities and threatened military intervention, a claim the Federal Government rejected, insisting it was addressing internal security threats while upholding religious freedom.
The discussion resurfaced recently when the US House Subcommittee on Africa reviewed Nigeria’s redesignation as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
During the hearing, experts and stakeholders presented differing perspectives on violence and religious tensions across the country.
President Tinubu has repeatedly stated that safeguarding citizens remains his administration’s top priority, assuring that Nigeria remains committed to protecting rights and religious liberties.
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