President Bola Tinubu on Saturday reacted to the description of Nigeria as a nation hostile to religious freedom, saying the country protects the rights of citizens of all faiths.
The President was reacting to a statement by the President of the United States, Mr Donald Trump, who on Friday designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over alleged persecution of Christians.
Trump had on Friday raised the alarm over what he described as an “existential threat to Christianity” in Nigeria in a strongly worded post on his official handle, @realDonaldTrump, the U.S. President
He particularly alleged that thousands of Christians are being killed by radical Islamist groups.
In a strongly worded post on his official handle, @realDonaldTrump, the U.S. President said he is officially designating Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern”, citing the unwarranted mass killings of Christians across the nation.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” President Trump stated.
He noted the scale of violence in Nigeria, stating that 3,100 Christians have been killed in Nigeria, compared to 4,476 worldwide.
Trump therefore described the situation as a global moral test that demands immediate action.
But President Tinubu in a post on X on Saturday, said “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.
“Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.”
The President disagreed with the US position that the country
encourages religious persecution saying Nigeria’s diversity remains one of its strong points.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”
Tinubu that his “administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths,”
