By: Fabian Apechihin

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has warned that the United States could halt all aid to Nigeria and has ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible military action if the Nigerian government does not stop what he described as the killing of Christians in the country.

Posting on his Truth Social account, Trump said the U.S. may go into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” to “wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” and asked congressional figures to investigate the matter and report back to him. He also announced that he had placed Nigeria on a watch list as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious-freedom violations.

Nigeria’s federal government has rejected the claims, saying the allegations “do not reflect the situation on the ground” and stressing that Nigerians of all faiths live and worship together. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigeria remains committed to fighting terrorism and protecting the rights of all citizens, and that it will engage Washington to clarify regional dynamics and the country’s security efforts.

The president’s statement has already drawn international attention and media coverage, and follows recent calls by some U.S. lawmakers and advocacy groups expressing concern about attacks on religious communities in parts of Nigeria. Nigerian officials, including the Minister of Information, have repeatedly argued that violent actors in the country target people across faiths and that available data do not support claims of targeted, state-enabled “genocide.”

This is a developing story; major news agencies—including Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, and others—are reporting on the exchange between Washington and Abuja.

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…hails former chairman Garba on impactful tenure

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Vice Chancellor of the University of ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, has congratulated members of the newly elected Executive Committee of the Correspondents’ Chapel of Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by Mr Biola Azeez, the State Editor of the Nigerian Tribune newspapers.

In a congratulatory message to the new NUJ leaders, Prof. Egbewole also lauded the immediate past Chairman, Mr Abdulhakeem Garba of Channels Television for successfully handing over to a successor.

A statement made available to news men in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, on Saturday by the University’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Kunle Akogun, expressed the Vice Chancellor’s delight over the outcome of the election, saying that the peaceful conduct of the election and the absence of any rancour in its aftermath have shown the Correspondents’ Chapel as truly the flagship crop of journalists in Kwara State.

Prof. Egbewole also said that this development has further raised the public rating of the Correspondents’ Chapel, whose members constitute the crux of the membership of the elite UNILORIN Accredited Press Corps (UAPC).

While wishing the new exco members a successful and impactful tenure of office, the Vice Chancellor expressed the hope that the new NUJ officials would carry every member of the Union along to justify the confidence reposed in them.

End

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

In a smooth transition of leadership, Biola Azeez, the Kwara state correspondent of the Tribune newspapers, has emerged as the new Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State Council.

Azeez’s emergence by affirmation marks the end of the tenure of the Mallam AbdulHakeem Garba-led executive committee, ushering in a new leadership phase for the elite body of journalists covering the state.

Also elected by affirmation were Ibrahim Alege of TVC as Vice Chairman, Sikirat Shehu of BusinessDay as Financial Secretary, and Afusat Agunbiade of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as Treasurer. .

In the only contested positions, Mosunmola Ayobami of Western Post defeated Okufemi Akobi of AIT by 27 votes to 4 to become the new Secretary, while Oluseyi DaSilva of Arise TV triumphed over Taiye Joseph of Kogi Graphics in another closely watched race to bec the new Auditor of the Chapel.

The new leadership is expected to build on the achievements of the outgoing executive in promoting professional excellence and strengthening collaboration between the media and public institutions in Kwara State.

In his acceptance speech, Biola Azeez commended the immediate past executives of the Chapel on standard set, pledging that his administration would improve on professionalism and welfare of members.

He also said that efforts would be made to improve on relationship with government and other newsmakers in the state in order to perform more effectively and serve as watch dog of the society.

End.