Nigeria and the United States have agreed to strengthen cooperation on security, counterterrorism, regional stability and other strategic issues following a high-level meeting between officials of both countries.
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, made this known during a three-day working visit to the United States from May 4 to May 6. During the visit, Ribadu conveyed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to maintaining strong relations between Nigeria and the United States.
Ribadu held meetings with U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance, Acting National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Undersecretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, and Assistant Secretary of War Daniel Zimmerim. The discussions focused on counterterrorism, defence cooperation, intelligence sharing, regional security, economic growth and democratic governance.
The National Security Adviser said Nigeria remains committed to working with international partners to address terrorism, violent extremism, cybercrime and other security threats affecting West Africa and the Sahel region. He also explained Nigeria’s efforts to improve security through military operations, community engagement, economic development and deradicalisation programmes.
During the meetings, Ribadu thanked the U.S. government for supporting Nigeria in areas such as security assistance, intelligence cooperation, humanitarian support and defence capacity building. Both countries also reviewed progress under the Nigeria–U.S. Joint Working Group framework aimed at improving bilateral cooperation on strategic and security matters.
U.S. officials commended Nigeria’s leadership role in promoting peace and security in Africa and described the country as an important strategic partner. Both sides agreed to continue strengthening diplomatic relations, defence cooperation and regular communication in order to address common regional and global security challenges.