Nigeria has vowed to continue protecting citizens of all religions after US President Donald Trump’s administration listed Nigeria as a “country of concern”, which Trump described as an “existential threat” to Christianity.
The West African state’s population of more than 220 million is divided almost evenly between Muslims and Christians.
Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram have been carrying out attacks in the country for about 15 years, but most of their victims are Muslims living in the north, where the majority of attacks occur.
Nigeria has also seen other incidents of violence rooted in communal and ethnic conflicts and fights over scarce land and water resources.
What did Trump say about Christianity in Nigeria?
In a social media post on Friday, Trump announced that Nigeria was being re-added to the US watch list.
“Christianity in Nigeria faces an existential threat. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass genocide,” Trump wrote, providing no details or evidence about his claims.
Nigeria was also added to the list in 2020 due to religious concerns and freedom during Trump’s first term. It was removed a year later under Democratic former President Joe Biden.
A few weeks ago, US Republican Senator Ted Cruz claimed that “Christian mass murder” was taking place in Nigeria, encouraging Congress to designate the country as a violator of religious freedom.
How has Nigeria reacted to this designation?
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the designation was not a reflection of the reality on the ground.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been and will always remain the core tenets of our collective identity,” Tinubu said. “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees of protection for its citizens of all religions.”
The Foreign Ministry of Africa’s most populous country also backed down.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to protect all citizens regardless of race, creed or religion,” ministry spokesperson Kimibi Abianfa said in a statement on Saturday. “Like America, Nigeria has no choice but to celebrate diversity which is our greatest strength.”
Edited by: Shawn Sinico