Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi (Remi) Tinubu, has publicly described the United States’ Christmas Day 2025 airstrikes on Islamist militants in Sokoto State as “quite a blessing.”
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital during her recent Washington visit, Mrs. Tinubu praised the joint US-Nigeria operation targeting ISIS-linked groups in the northwest. She emphasized that the strikes demonstrated welcome American support in Nigeria’s long fight against insurgency, banditry, and criminal gangs.
“It was quite a blessing… Nigeria is looking forward to collaboration… We are expecting that there will be more,” she said.
The comments follow President Donald Trump’s public recognition of her as a “very respected woman” and Christian leader at the National Prayer Breakfast in early January 2026.
They signal warming US-Nigeria ties focused on counterterrorism, religious freedom concerns, and security cooperation under the current administration.
The Christmas Day strikes (announced by Trump as a “gift” to hit terrorists hard) marked a rare direct US kinetic action on Nigerian soil, coordinated with Nigerian forces and reportedly causing no civilian casualties according to officials. As Nigeria grapples with persistent insecurity in the North West and beyond, the First Lady’s remarks highlight openness to expanded US military and intelligence support.
What do you think? stronger signal of a new chapter in bilateral relations, or controversial given domestic sensitivities?
