Primate Babatunde Elijah Ayodele, leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, has advised President Bola Tinubu not to beg the United States (US) President Donald Trump over the recent military threats against Nigeria due to alleged targeted killings of Christians.

In a statement on Tuesday, November 4, signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, and sent to Legit.ng, Primate Ayodele urged Tinubu not to put himself in a position where he will be at Trump's mercy.

The cleric counselled President Tinubu to quickly fix Nigeria's lingering security challenges 'because it will affect his chances in the 2027 elections'.

Furthermore, the prophet shared that he had warned years ago that insecurity would affect Tinubu’s administration, but he was reportedly ignored. He called on President Tinubu to swiftly address it; 'otherwise, he (Tinubu) will have serious issues'.

Primate Ayodele said: “Don’t travel to go and beg Trump, he wants to make money. Tinubu shouldn’t be at his mercy; rather, he should go to God and work well on insecurity. I have said that insecurity will cause his government a lot; all he needs to do is wake up, ensure he tackles security well.”

Furthermore, Primate Ayodele stated that Nigeria’s issue is beyond genocide, adding that it is just an excuse Trump wants to use to allegedly negotiate for Nigeria’s resources. He urged Tinubu to be patient because 'he will be given different options, which he needs to be careful about to avoid doing the wrong thing'. Primate

Ayodele said: “The matter of Nigeria is beyond genocide. Tinubu isn’t Trump’s friend from the outset, and what the US wants to do is negotiate with Tinubu for Nigeria’s resources. This matter needs to be addressed with patience because they will give Tinubu different options, but he must not do the wrong thing.”

Additionally, Ayodele said Nigeria can solve its problems if the government is truly ready, while noting that Trump’s concern is not a genuine one. His words: “It is only Nigeria that can solve its problems; a stranger cannot solve problems for Nigeria.

Trump is not God, he just wants to make money. He is an oppressor. If the US has a genuine mission, they should work with the Nigerian government; the threat was unnecessary."