The federal government has rejected the return of Nigeria to a ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ list of nations that U.S says have violated religious freedom.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, who spoke during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, said the security situation in the country is not targeted at a particular ethnic or religious minority.
He said that some influencers that engage in criminal activities are behind the misinformation on Nigeria’s security situation.
United States President Donald Trump had, on Saturday, instructed the Pentagon to ‘prepare for action’ in Nigeria over alleged killing of Christians in the country. He warned that if the Nigerian government failed to end the alleged killings, the United States would launch strikes that would be ‘fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs who attack our cherished Christians’.
While speaking, the information minister said the challenge of accessing some of the areas affected by insecurity makes it hard for security agencies to ward off such attacks.
Idris said, ‘We can say that, for example, the Nigerian government has been able to have a correlation between some of these lobbies operating especially in the United States of America and the activities here.’
‘We have seen, and it’s a matter of public record, if you go to the records of the United States, there is what is called the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Some of the influencers of these criminal activities have direct relationship with lobbies in the U.S. who have direct relationship with some of the people who are shouting about this issue outside this country. It is a matter of public record.
‘Sometimes you hear these arguments about the minorities being attacked. The policing system and the security agencies will not in any way, because someone is in the minority, say he’s not going to be provided security or he’s not going to be protected by the security agencies. Nigerian security is formed in such a way that they should be able to respond to any threat wherever it may be, whichever community that they belong to.
‘But of course, sometimes access to some of the infrastructure leading to some of these communities make it sometimes a bit difficult to reach there on time or when this crime is committed. And the government is looking seriously into that to improve on that. And that is why there is massive investment in the infrastructure you see going around the country to also make it easy and smooth for the security agencies to operate.’
He added that the government was making all efforts to bring back community policing to complement the efforts of the Nigerian security agencies.
When asked on whether the lack of appointment of ambassadors is responsible to the President Donald Trump’s insistence on Christian genocide in the country, he said it is not, as the federal government has a cordial relation with the US.
He added, ‘We know that ambassadors play a great role in enhancing a country’s image wherever they are. But we don’t want to say it is because there is the absence of ambassadors because the Nigerian government has been relating with the American counterparts and other nations to ensure that there is greater collaboration. But let me also add that the president is working hard on this ambassador matter.’
On his part, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, David Alake, said politicians who lost in the elections are also pushing the narrative of Christian genocide in the US.
He added that there is a letter written by Nigerians applauding Trump for labelling Nigeria as a country of concern.
He warned that if there is an escalation in the security situation in the country nobody knows who will be affected.
He also accused them of amplifying the activities of separatist groups in the name of losing elections which he said showed they do not have goodwill towards the country.
Tinubu’s family, appointments prove Nigeria isn’t targeting Christians – Keyamo
Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the claim that Christians are being systematically killed in Nigeria is untrue.
In a statement on Wednesday, Keyamo said Trump’s comments were based on false information.
The aviation minister said he had been a lawyer for over three decades and had dedicated most of his career to promoting and defending human rights.
Keyamo said his faith and commitment to ethical conduct would have prevented him from serving in any government that targeted Christians.
He said Nigeria, like many other countries, has faced internal security challenges caused by violent groups such as Boko Haram and armed herders.
‘These decades-old problems were inherited by our president who has made great progress in the fight against these insurgents,’ he said.
‘In fact, most of the security chiefs appointed by him are Christians, so it would be unthinkable to imagine them being complicit in the killing of fellow Christians in Nigeria.’
The aviation minister described President Bola Tinubu as a ‘moderate’ Muslim whose family reflects Nigeria’s religious diversity.
‘President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, though a Muslim, is a known ‘moderate’, whose wife is a pastor of one of the biggest Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria and most of his children are practising Christians,’ he said.
‘When he was governor of Lagos State, he regularly invited Christian pastors for prayers and worship sessions at the government house.
‘He will be the last person to either adopt the killing of Christians as a state policy, or condone such acts or be complicit in them.’
Keyamo added that insecurity in parts of the country affects people of all religions, not just Christians.
The minister said opposition parties in Nigeria, despite their political differences, also agree that there is no targeted killing of Christians in the country.
The minister appealed to the US government to support Nigeria’s efforts to tackle terrorism rather than rely on distorted reports.