The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu to stop placing public attention on diplomatic letters from foreign leaders and focus instead on solving Nigeria’s pressing problems.
The opposition party on Thursday, in an official statement via X, said that what Nigerians want is better security, safer communities and improved living conditions, not celebrations over President Donald Trump‘s reported letter to the Nigerian leader.
The ADC said the performance of any government should be judged by the daily lives of its citizens, making the issue important as public attention stays fixed on insecurity and economic hardship.
The comment followed the Presidency‘s public presentation of a reported letter from United States President Donald Trump to Tinubu. The ADC said such exchanges are a normal part of relations between countries and should not be treated as proof that the Nigerian government is performing well. It said the attention given to the letter takes focus away from the real problems facing millions of Nigerians.
The party said no letter from a foreign leader can replace the judgement of Nigerians on the performance of their government. It stated that ordinary people will judge Tinubu’s administration by whether they can live safely, travel freely, farm without fear and enjoy better living conditions.
The ADC said the reported communication from Trump did not change the country’s security situation or the hardship faced by many families. It pointed to the continued captivity of women and children in parts of Borno and Kaiama in Kwara State, while many communities in Benue and other parts of the country still face violent attacks.
The party urged the Federal Government to channel more effort into producing clear and measurable improvements that citizens can see in their daily lives.
“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 party said.
The ADC also referred to the travel advisory issued by the United States government. It noted that parts of Nigeria are still listed under Level 3 and Level 4 travel warnings because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest.
The party said this shows that diplomatic exchanges between presidents do not automatically reflect an improvement in Nigeria’s security situation. It questioned why the reported letter should be presented as an endorsement while the travel advice issued by the same government has not changed.
The opposition party stressed that diplomatic correspondence between heads of state is routine and should not be interpreted as approval of a country’s domestic record.
It maintained that Nigeria’s challenges cannot be solved through international recognition but through policies that improve security, protect lives and create better conditions for citizens.
The ADC also said the reported letter did not state that insecurity had ended or that Nigerians could now travel safely, return to their farms without fear or sleep peacefully in their homes.
The party concluded that the verdict that matters most will not come from foreign capitals but from Nigerians themselves. It said voters will assess the Tinubu administration by the results it delivers and whether it fulfils the promises made to the people who elected it.