The Presidency has said a letter from United States President Donald Trump to President Bola Tinubu is further proof that Nigeria’s security partnership with the United States is producing meaningful results.

Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.

According to Bwala, attention should be placed on the contents of the letter and the progress achieved through the partnership rather than the timing of its public release.

He said the correspondence demonstrates growing international recognition of the Tinubu administration’s efforts to deepen security cooperation with the United States.

“The letter was written by the United States government applauding the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for deeper cooperation. Unfortunately, we are not discussing that today. Is it fair to the Nigerian people? Is it fair to the Nigerian people in rural areas who want to know that this country has experienced progress to the point where our collaboration is yielding results?

“The letter is the recognition of the results of the collaboration that has assumed a much deeper and commendable level. The second-in-command in ISIS globally was eliminated in Nigeria because of the joint operation. We eliminated and foiled their attacks because of the joint operation. We have deepened cooperation to the point where we share intelligence, conduct local training and carry out joint operations,” Bwala said.

He added that the letter reflects the progress made in Nigeria’s relationship with the United States, noting that similar diplomatic achievements are being recorded with other countries.

“The letter exemplifies and explains the progress we have made so far with the United States, and we have similar progress with the rest of the world,” he stated.

Speaking on how President Tinubu views the letter, Bwala said its message was clear.

“The facts speak for themselves. The letter is further proof of the progress we are making. Does it mean that if there was no letter we would stop? No, because we are already engaging and communicating with them,” he said.

Addressing concerns over why the July 6 letter was only released publicly on July 22, Bwala insisted that the focus should remain on its substance rather than the timing.

“Is the content of the letter false? You have to concentrate on the essentials in order not to be distracted. The fact right now is that President Trump has written a letter to President Tinubu. The Nigerian people and what impacts them are more important to us than baseless rhetoric,” he said.

Bwala also maintained that the administration’s efforts to improve security are yielding positive results, adding that many Nigerians are satisfied with the progress being made.

The Presidency had earlier released the letter dated July 6, 2026, in which President Trump praised President Tinubu’s “decisive leadership” in tackling terrorism and protecting vulnerable communities, particularly Christians.

The letter also reaffirmed the importance of stronger US-Nigeria relations and highlighted the expanding security partnership under the 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap, including the deployment of US Special Operations Forces to train Nigerian troops, enhanced intelligence sharing, and joint counterterrorism operations against extremist groups.

Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and holiday camps as devastating wildfires continue to spread across parts of Italy, France and Spain, fuelled by extreme heat and strong winds.

The fires have claimed the lives of three firefighters as southern Europe battles another intense heatwave, with temperatures rising above 40°C in several areas.

Climate scientists have consistently warned that human-driven climate change, caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels, is increasing the frequency, duration and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and wildfires.

In Italy, emergency responders continued efforts to contain dozens of fires across Sicily, where about 6,000 firefighters, forest guards and civil protection personnel have been deployed alongside water-bombing aircraft.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed that one firefighter died after falling ill while responding to the fires.

A spokesperson for Italy’s Civil Protection Agency described the situation in Sicily as critical, saying the fires were being intensified by soaring temperatures and exceptionally dry conditions.

More than 160 separate fires have also been reported in the Calabria region, where local authorities accused suspected arsonists of deliberately igniting some of the blazes. Officials alleged that flammable materials were tied to stray cats in an attempt to spread the fires.

In France, more than 10,000 tourists were evacuated from campsites and holiday accommodation near Bordeaux after a wildfire tore through a coastal pine forest.

The blaze in Le Porge has destroyed about 2,000 hectares of land since Wednesday.

The latest emergency follows the deaths of two firefighters earlier this week while battling another wildfire near Bordeaux Airport.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez met with the families of the fallen firefighters as unions warned that emergency crews were facing growing exhaustion and limited resources.

“We’re dealing with a very dense stand of closely packed pines,” firefighter Captain Wilfried Schneider said, describing the wildfire as one of unusual intensity.

Residents described thick black smoke covering the skies as the fire rapidly spread.

“We saw a big cloud of black smoke spread across the sky in the middle of the afternoon,” said Bordeaux resident Julie Leonard.

Long-time resident Bernard Roche also described the severe conditions.

“If I’d been brave, I would have stayed in my cabin, but it was too hot. I got in my car and left,” he said.

Authorities evacuated around 700 residents in Le Porge, while more than 3,000 campers were relocated as a precaution.

In neighbouring Spain, firefighters made progress overnight in containing a major wildfire south of Madrid, allowing many evacuated residents to return home.

However, some communities, including El Encinar del Alberche in Villa del Prado, remain under evacuation orders.

Emergency officials described overnight firefighting operations as “very positive”, although the fire has yet to be fully contained and several roads remain closed.

Elsewhere in Spain, hundreds of firefighters continue battling a much larger wildfire in Guadalajara province, which has burned approximately 32,000 hectares since it began last week.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain recorded more than 393,000 hectares destroyed by wildfires in 2025, marking the country’s worst wildfire season in recent history.

Several oil tankers have abruptly changed course near Yemen after the Iran-backed Houthi movement announced a new “maritime embargo” targeting Saudi Arabia, raising fresh concerns over global energy supplies and shipping security in one of the world’s busiest trade corridors.

Ship-tracking data shows that at least seven oil tankers made sharp U-turns after Monday’s announcement, with all the affected vessels either heading to or departing from Saudi Arabian ports.

The latest disruption comes as the Red Sea has become increasingly important for global oil exports following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the recent US-Israel conflict with Iran.

Nearly 15 per cent of global maritime trade passes through the Red Sea, linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aden through the Suez Canal in Egypt and the Bab al-Mandab Strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa.

The route has become a critical alternative for Saudi oil exports after traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was severely disrupted.

Rosemary Kelanic of the US-based Defense Priorities think tank said the Red Sea had played a “major role in relieving pressure to global markets” and warned that further Houthi restrictions would likely push energy prices higher.

According to maritime intelligence company Kpler, 20 vessels entered the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab Strait the day before the Houthis announced the embargo, while 22 ships exited the waterway.

Kelanic warned that attacks on vessels in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden would not only affect ships linked to Saudi Arabia but could disrupt broader international maritime traffic.

The European Union’s naval mission in the region, Aspides, reportedly advised that “merchant vessels linked to Israeli, US or Saudi interests avoid transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the threat level decreases,” according to an advisory cited by Reuters.

Ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic revealed that the Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker Rodos, carrying Saudi crude to India, departed the Red Sea port of Al-Muajiz on Monday evening and initially sailed south toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait before making a complete U-turn approximately nine hours later.

Another Liberian-flagged vessel, the oil and chemical tanker Mica, left Saudi Arabia’s Jazan port and also reversed course after heading south.

MarineTraffic data further indicates that at least eight ships approaching the Red Sea from the south also abandoned their routes before entering the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Among them was the Marshall Islands-flagged vehicle carrier Liu Jiang Kou, which had been travelling from China to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah port before changing course in the Gulf of Aden.

The Hong Kong-flagged crude oil tanker New Prime, also travelling from China to Saudi Arabia, similarly turned around and is currently reported to be waiting in the Arabian Sea.

Although the precise reasons behind each course change cannot be independently confirmed, maritime risk management company Vanguard noted that “the timing is consistent with the embargo announcement.”

According to an email sent by the Houthis to shipowners and seen by the BBC, “vessels are banned from loading or discharging cargo at any Saudi ports.”

The message further warned that ships “may be subject to targeting in any location within the operational reach.”

The Houthis say the embargo is retaliation for what they describe as a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in areas under their control in northwestern Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has rejected the accusation and pledged to “take all necessary measures to protect its ships in accordance with international law.”

Yemen has remained embroiled in civil war since 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sana’a. The conflict escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the internationally recognised government.

Although an informal truce has existed between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since 2022, tensions have recently intensified.

Last week, the Houthis launched missiles at an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia in response to air strikes on Sana’a airport, which they blamed on the kingdom.

The group has previously demonstrated its ability to disrupt shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, Houthi forces began attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians.

Those attacks resulted in four ships being sunk, one vessel being seized and the deaths of nine crew members.

Since shipping through the Strait of Hormuz became restricted, Saudi Arabia has redirected more than 70 per cent of its crude exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu using its east-west pipeline network.

According to Kpler and Signal Ocean, approximately four million barrels of crude oil per day have recently been shipped from Yanbu, compared with around 973,000 barrels daily a year earlier.

Kpler senior oil analyst Naveen Das said that if the Bab al-Mandab Strait becomes effectively inaccessible, Saudi Arabia’s remaining option would be to transport oil through the Mediterranean before routing shipments around the southern tip of Africa to Asian markets.

Das noted that consumers may not immediately feel the effects, but warned that the current geopolitical environment has made global energy markets more vulnerable.

“We could weather it for two weeks, three weeks, even a month, but even in that time, we will see higher freight rates, higher energy prices and that bleeds into higher energy consumer costs.”

To reduce the risk of being targeted, many vessels operating near the Red Sea have begun broadcasting messages declaring that armed security personnel are on board, a practice that became common during previous Houthi attacks linked to the Gaza conflict.

MarineTraffic data indicates that at least 50 vessels in the region are currently transmitting such security messages.

Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group said ship captains fear the Houthis could mistakenly identify vessels based on previous visits to Saudi ports.

“Houthis might read your situation wrong” and think their ships have “called at a Saudi port in the past, then therefore you could be attacked”.

He also warned of the potentially devastating consequences if one of the large crude carriers were successfully targeted.

“A lot of these ships are very large crude oil carriers. I think the damage would be catastrophic. There would certainly be deaths onboard these ships.”