Ambassador-designate and Senator representing Ondo South, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, CFR, has commended Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for what he described as a strategic diplomatic intervention that has helped reshape global perceptions of Nigeria, particularly in the United States.
Ibrahim, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, said the First Lady’s engagement at high-level international religious platforms, including a prayer breakfast attended by the United States President Donald Trump, had helped correct the narrative portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as religious genocide.
According to him, the fact that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is married to a pastor clearly dispels allegations of religious bias or state-sponsored persecution.
“If the President can have a pastor as his wife, then it is evident that he has no hand in religious genocide, which Nigeria is not known for,” the senator stated.
He noted that the First Lady’s presence at such influential forums had helped redirect international opinion to view Nigeria’s security challenges as a national issue rather than a religious agenda, adding that this would encourage fair and merit-based international support for the Tinubu administration.
Ibrahim emphasised that diplomacy goes beyond formal meetings, describing the First Lady’s engagement as an action driven by influence rather than rhetoric.
“For her to gain access to that level of engagement is a demonstration of influence rooted in religious diplomacy, which lies at the centre of the global misunderstanding about Nigeria,” he said.
The senator added that international relations are interest-driven and that perceptions of Nigeria, particularly by some national and international political interests, had been shaped by religious sentiment.
He said the First Lady’s intervention sent a clear message that while Nigeria faces security challenges, the President has no role in any religious persecution.
Describing her as a stabilising diplomatic force, Ibrahim said her action had achieved in one moment what would ordinarily require years of diplomatic engagement.
“This is a case of action speaking louder than words. History will be kind to her,” he added.
