U.S. involvement in Nigeria’s security will weaken military capability – Primate Ayodele

Founder and Primate of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned that increased involvement of the United States in Nigeria’s fight against insecurity could ultimately weaken the nation’s military capability.

Primate Ayodele made this assertion during a night vigil held as part of activities marking the 2026 annual convention of his church.

According to the cleric, although American support in tackling Nigeria’s security challenges may initially serve as a wake-up call to the country’s armed forces, it poses serious long-term risks to national security and military independence.

He cautioned that Nigeria’s military operations are gradually coming under the influence of the United States, leading to the exposure of sensitive security strategies and operational secrets.

“The involvement of the American government is meant to wake up our military,” Primate Ayodele said. “However, all the secrets of our military are now in America’s hands. There is no secrecy in our military operations anymore.”

He described the situation as “very delicate,” stressing that the loss of operational confidentiality could limit Nigeria’s ability to independently make strategic security decisions in the future.

“Now Nigeria may not be able to do certain things on its own,” he added. “This kind of arrangement will not strengthen our military capacity; rather, it will weaken it.”

Primate Ayodele urged the Federal Government to prioritise the strengthening of local military intelligence, technology, and manpower instead of relying heavily on foreign intervention.

He maintained that while international cooperation can be useful, excessive dependence on external powers could compromise Nigeria’s sovereignty and long-term security stability.