Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has called for renewed diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and the United States of America following President Donald Trump’s recent threat of security and diplomatic actions against Nigeria.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, on Monday, the governor urged both nations to embrace peaceful dialogue, stressing that only mutual cooperation and understanding can sustain the long-standing Nigeria–US partnership.

Governor Adeleke, while expressing concern over the security situation in parts of the country, appealed to the US government to support Nigeria in the full implementation of its newly developed national security strategy, describing it as “comprehensive and capable of confronting the menace of banditry and terrorism.”

“I appeal to the Presidency of the United States of America to support Nigeria to fully implement the recently developed national security strategy,” he said. “The new strategy is comprehensive and capable of taking on the monster of banditry and terroristic killings in many parts of the country.”

The governor commiserated with families of victims affected by insecurity across the northern region, noting that the American threat should serve as a wake-up call for Nigeria to intensify efforts in combating terrorism.

He said, “We need help from the United States and others to solve the terrorism challenge. Nigeria suffers from unfortunate killings across Northern Nigeria which has claimed the lives of many innocent citizens. We believe a high-powered engagement at the presidential level will particularly open to the American government the ongoing security operations, successes and challenges Nigeria is facing in the fight against terrorism.”

Governor Adeleke emphasized the importance of constructive diplomacy, cautioning against military intervention by the United States. “Peaceful interface between Abuja and Washington holds the key rather than military intervention by the American government,” he added.

While commending the Federal Government’s diplomatic response to the situation, Adeleke urged the political class to rally behind President Bola Tinubu’s administration in safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty and security.

“This is the time to unite as a nation to support the national leadership to frontally address internal and external threats for the protection of the citizenry,” he said. “We need peace, not war, to deepen our democracy and protect our citizens.”