Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called for enhanced security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, describing the US Christmas Day 2025 airstrike on Islamist militants in northwest Nigeria as “a blessing” and a significant boost to the country’s counter-terrorism efforts.

Mrs Tinubu made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Digital during her visit to Washington, D.C., in early February 2026. She said Nigeria is seeking deeper collaboration with the United States in intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism operations and broader security partnerships to address insurgency, banditry and widespread kidnappings.

Her comments came on the sidelines of the 74th Annual National Prayer Breakfast, where US President Donald Trump acknowledged her alongside other international guests and faith leaders.

Linking the US military action to ongoing domestic security measures, the First Lady said the Nigerian government has intensified efforts to stabilise troubled regions, including declaring a nationwide security emergency, recruiting 50,000 additional police officers, and redeploying over 11,000 security personnel to identified flashpoints across the country.

“America’s Christmas Day strike on Islamist militants in northwest Nigeria was a blessing,” she said.
“The intervention of the US was quite a welcome development. Nigeria looks forward to greater collaboration with the United States on security issues, and we expect there will be more.”

Mrs Tinubu also addressed concerns raised in some US policy circles over religious freedom in Nigeria, rejecting descriptions of the country as a “nation of particular concern.” She argued that insecurity in Nigeria is not driven by religious targeting but by terrorism and organised criminal activity affecting citizens across faiths and ethnicities.

“The challenge is terrorism and criminality, not religion,” she said, stressing that government responses are aimed at protecting all Nigerians regardless of belief.

However, the visit drew some controversy. Tony Perkins, a US broadcaster and president of the Family Research Council, reportedly declined an interview request from Mrs Tinubu’s media team, citing what he described as unresolved concerns over alleged cover-ups of religious persecution in Nigeria—claims Nigerian officials have consistently denied.

Excerpts from the Fox News Digital interview, reposted on Sunday by Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady’s media aide, on her X handle, circulated widely on social media. Users quoted Mrs Tinubu as saying Nigeria was receiving renewed global attention and that “good things are starting from the rubble,” a phrase that quickly trended among supporters and critics alike.

Observers say the First Lady’s remarks underscore the President Bola Tinubu administration’s ongoing diplomatic push to strengthen bilateral security ties with Washington at a time Nigeria continues to confront persistent threats from extremist groups and organised criminal networks, particularly in the North-West and North-East.