The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against reading too much into a recent letter from United States President Donald Trump.
The party has also argued that diplomatic courtesies cannot substitute for tangible governance outcomes or shield the administration from electoral accountability.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said the Presidency’s celebration of the letter betrays a “desperation for any form of validation” and reflects an administration out of touch with the daily struggles of ordinary Nigerians.
“A letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people,” the statement read. “The true measure of any government is not what is written about it abroad, but what its citizens experience every day.”
The ADC emphasised that while diplomatic correspondence between heads of state remains a routine feature of international relations, the Tinubu administration’s decision to publicise the communication as though it were an endorsement raises serious questions about its priorities.
The opposition party argued that the letter has done nothing to alleviate the worsening security situation across the country. It drew attention to the hundreds of women and children still held captive in Borno and Kaiama in Kwara State, as well as communities in Benue and other regions that continue to live under the shadow of violent attacks.
“For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing,” Abdullahi said. “It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely, and sleep without fear.”
The ADC further pointed to what it described as a glaring contradiction in the Presidency’s narrative, noting that the United States Department of State’s travel advisory on Nigeria remains unchanged despite the warm exchange between both leaders.
Parts of the country continue to carry Level 3 and Level 4 travel warnings, urging American citizens to reconsider travel due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and other security concerns.
“That advisory alone is a reminder that, whatever diplomatic courtesies may be exchanged between presidents, the international assessment of Nigeria’s security challenges remains far removed from the picture the Presidency is eager to paint,” the party stated.
The ADC concluded by urging the Tinubu administration to redirect its energy away from publicising foreign correspondence and toward delivering measurable results at home.
“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals,” the statement read. “They will judge it by whether it improved the lives of the people it was elected to serve.”
The Presidency has yet to officially respond to the ADC’s criticism. However, officials had earlier described the Trump letter as a significant diplomatic gesture and a testament to the growing international recognition of Nigeria under Tinubu’s leadership.
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