ABUJA, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 Nigerian defense officials have acknowledged that the country lacks the capacity to repel a direct military assault from the United States, emphasizing instead the importance of diplomatic engagement and regional security partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking during a strategic dialogue in Abuja, Minister of State for Defense Bello Mohammed Matawalle said Nigeria\u2019s priority is strengthening internal security and counterterrorism operations. He urged the United States to expand its support through intelligence sharing, equipment transfers, and joint training programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting, held with Major General Garrick Harmon of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), focused on enhancing bilateral defense cooperation. Matawalle stressed that Nigeria\u2019s security challenges\u2014particularly in the northeast\u2014require sustained international collaboration, not confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNigeria is not preparing for war with any country, least of all the United States,\u201d Matawalle said. \u201cOur focus is on peace, stability, and protecting our citizens from terrorism and organized crime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The comments came in response to remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christian communities and hinted at possible military intervention. Nigerian officials rejected the claims, calling them \u201cmisinformed and inflammatory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNigeria is a secular nation,\u201d said presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale. \u201cOur armed forces protect all citizens regardless of religion. We will not be drawn into divisive rhetoric that undermines our sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Security analysts noted that Nigeria\u2019s military, while one of the largest in Africa, is structured primarily for internal operations and peacekeeping missions. Its ability to counter a full-scale foreign invasion, especially from a superpower like the United States, remains limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Nigerian Air Force and Navy have made strides in modernization, but officials concede that gaps in surveillance, logistics, and advanced weaponry persist. Defense spending, though increasing, is dwarfed by the U.S. military budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite tensions, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation. AFRICOM\u2019s Harmon praised Nigeria\u2019s role in regional stability and counterterrorism, calling it \u201ca vital partner in West Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matawalle concluded the meeting by reiterating Nigeria\u2019s preference for diplomacy. \u201cWe welcome assistance, not aggression,\u201d he said. \u201cOur relationship with the United States must be built on mutual respect and shared goals.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ABUJA, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 Nigerian defense officials have acknowledged that the country lacks the capacity to repel a direct military assault from the United States, emphasizing instead the importance of diplomatic engagement and regional security partnerships. Speaking during a strategic dialogue in Abuja, Minister of State for Defense Bello Mohammed Matawalle said Nigeria\u2019s priority is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":23215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[157,292,291,146,95,42],"class_list":["post-23272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international","tag-abuja","tag-ajuri-ngelale","tag-defense-bello-mohammed-matawalle","tag-nigeria","tag-president-bola-tinubu","tag-trump"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Tinubu-Congratulates-Trump.jpg?fit=700%2C396&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23272"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23279,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23272\/revisions\/23279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}