Nigerian authorities’ pushback on the Trump administration’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” is said to have come amid reports that U.S. surveillance aircraft have been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over Nigerian airspace.
According to a Reuters report citing flight-tracking data and officials, U.S. contractor-operated planes have been flying missions from Accra, Ghana, over Nigeria since late November. Analysts suggest these flights represent an effort by the U.S. to rebuild intelligence capacity in West Africa after being forced to withdraw troops from Niger.
This development follows earlier reports from The New York Times that the U.S. military had drawn up contingency plans for operations in northern Nigeria against terrorist groups, after President Donald Trump reportedly ordered the Department of Defense to prepare following the “Country of Particular Concern” declaration.
The designation and subsequent military planning have been promoted online by some U.S. lawmakers, who allege a genocide against Christians in Nigeria—a claim Nigerian officials dispute.
Amid the diplomatic tension, high-level engagements are underway. Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, while a U.S. congressional delegation has visited Nigeria on a fact-finding mission concerning terrorism and sectarian violence.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
