The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed attempts by the Presidency to portray a letter from United States President Donald Trump to President Bola Tinubu as an endorsement of the Nigerian government’s performance, insisting that the correspondence does not reflect the realities facing millions of Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party argued that diplomatic correspondence between heads of state is a routine aspect of international relations and should not be interpreted as a verdict on the performance of any administration.
The party maintained that while it respected the office of the U.S. President, “a letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people.”
According to the ADC, the true measure of any government lies not in international recognition but in the everyday experiences of its citizens.
“The true measure of any government is not what is written about it abroad, but what its citizens experience every day,” the statement said.
The opposition party said it found the Presidency’s celebration of Trump’s letter difficult to understand, arguing that the communication did not address the country’s pressing security and economic challenges.
It said millions of Nigerians were still grappling with insecurity and hardship, stressing that the letter neither declared an end to terrorism nor guaranteed that citizens could travel, farm or sleep safely.
The ADC further pointed to the United States government’s travel advisory on Nigeria, noting that despite the public attention given to Trump’s letter, the advisory remained unchanged.
According to the party, several parts of Nigeria continue to be classified under Level 3 and Level 4 travel advisories, with American citizens warned to reconsider travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest and other security concerns.
The party questioned how the Presidency could interpret the letter as an endorsement when the U.S. government still considers parts of Nigeria unsafe for travel.
“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 statement added.
The ADC argued that diplomatic exchanges could not replace the government’s responsibility to provide security and improve the welfare of citizens.
It maintained that Nigerians would ultimately assess the Tinubu administration based on its ability to tackle insecurity, improve living conditions and deliver tangible results rather than on messages exchanged with foreign leaders.
“For all intents and purposes, President Trump’s letter is simply communication between one president and another,” the party said, adding that it “does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance.”
The opposition party urged the Tinubu administration to focus less on celebrating diplomatic gestures and more on addressing the country’s challenges.
“The Tinubu administration would therefore do well to devote less energy to celebrating letters of courtesy from abroad and more to delivering measurable results at home,” the ADC said.
The statement concluded that Nigerians, rather than foreign governments, would determine the administration’s legacy.
“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether it improved the lives of the people it was elected to serve,” the party stated.
The statement comes a day after the Presidency publicised President Trump’s letter commending Tinubu’s leadership in confronting security challenges, a development that has since generated political reactions from both supporters and critics of the administration.