US President acknowledges Nigeria’s First Lady as respected woman

United States, US, President, Donald Trump, yesterday, at the 74th Annual National Prayer Breakfast on Capitol Hill, acknowledged Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, as a very respected woman.

This is even as the first lady dismissed the global concern about persecution of Christians in the country, saying that it was based on propaganda.

Speaking during the event, Trump drew attention to Mrs. Tinubu’s attendance, describing her as a respected figure and noted her role as a Christian pastor in the largest church in Nigeria.

“We are honoured to be joined today by the First Lady of Nigeria, who also happens to serve as a Christian pastor at one of the largest churches. A very respected woman,” Trump said. “First Lady, where are you? Thank you very much. It is a great honour to have you with us.”

Meanwhile, speaking at the International Religious Summit in Washington DC, Mrs. Tinubu said she sees divine intervention in US President Donald Trump’s focus on protecting Christians in the country, as it has created an opportunity to elevate relations with the United States and tackle insecurity and terrorism in Nigeria.

Coming more than a month after Trump’s Christmas-day missile strike targeting terrorists in the country, the first lady is in Washington, D.C., to attend the National Prayer Breakfast, to build relationships and clear misconceptions about religious freedom in Nigeria.

This is also coming a day after the US congress in a hearing recommended stiffer actions, including sanctions and economic penalties, against countries deemed to be violating Christian freedom.

Joined by Idayat Hassan, Special Advisor to the National Security Agency, Tinubu said that Trump’s intervention was a wake-up call for the government to step up measures to secure lives and property.

“I see Trump’s focus on Christian killing as divine intervention. Divine in the sense that, who would have even noticed Nigeria? Or to really understand what we are grappling with and trying to build the country?” she asked, speaking with The Hill in an interview at the Four Seasons in Georgetown.

“What we have to establish, we are talking about attacks on Christians, we have to realise that Nigeria also is an emerging economy.

“There are cases of theft, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, all of those are all intertwined. If kidnappers know that you are focusing on Christians, it now makes them a target for kidnapping, so that they think that they’re being persecuted.

“I’ve always believed that all things work together for good, despite I didn’t want this attention, but at least I have to speak my truth, that’s why I came.

“We really thank God that he looked at that and we can look for ways to move forward,” the first lady added.
Asked if Trump was swayed by propaganda about Christian persecution, she said: “I don’t think so. No one in the free world will hear that Christians have been killed and U.S. is a Christian country and you can hear that, and not speak up, or to react.

“I’m not a security person,” Tinubu said when asked if U.S. military intervention was the best way to combat threats from terrorists.

“I believe that the relationship we want to build with America, now that we have your attention, is to build a relationship on trade, and also security. Because we can’t have good trade relationship if your investment is not secured.”

On whether the concern from Trump and others in the U.S is making matters worse for Nigeria’s Christians, she said: “No, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a wake-up call for us, we have to really step up what we are doing and make sure lives are secured.”

Vanguard News Nigeria

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