Nigeria cannot defeat terrorısm without international collaboration” – Tinubu’s aide

“In a marked departure from the usual rhetoric of self-reliance, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Sunday Dare, has openly acknowledged that Nigeria cannot defeat terrorism alone and urgently needs stronger international partnerships, especially with the United States.

The statement, posted on X on Wednesday, comes as the country reels from yet another schoolgirl abduction (25 students taken from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State) and follows a string of deadly attacks, including the killing of a senior army officer in Borno and the massacre of worshippers in a Kwara church.

Dare wrote: “Nigeria does not pretend it can win this war alone, nor should it have to.

The strategic partnership between Nigeria and the United States has been invaluable.

American special forces trained Nigerian naval units during the height of the Boko Haram insurgency, including the period following the Chibok schoolgirl abductions, and presently the Maga girls abduction.

Today, training, intelligence cooperation, and joint exercises continue. However, they are not enough to match the scale of the threat.”

The remarks signal a subtle but significant policy shift at a time when Nigeria is under intense global scrutiny. Just weeks ago, former U.S. President Donald Trump (in one of his first foreign policy moves after returning to office) redesignated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for religious freedom violations, describing the violence against Christian communities as an “existential threat.” Trump warned that U.S. aid could be cut and even floated the possibility of direct American military intervention if Abuja failed to protect its citizens.

President Tinubu had initially pushed back strongly, rejecting the CPC label as “misleading and overly simplistic,” insisting the violence is rooted in herder-farmer clashes, banditry, and criminality rather than targeted religious persecution. Yet Sunday Dare’s appeal for deeper collaboration suggests the administration now sees expanded foreign support as indispensable, while still insisting any assistance must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty.

With public anger mounting and opposition voices like Peter Obi and Falz openly questioning the government’s capacity, Dare’s tweet appears to be both a pragmatic call for help and an attempt to regain the narrative on national security.