By Prosper Meneย
In defense of Nigeria’s unity, Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, alongside the youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), firmly rejected recent U.S. claims of widespread religious persecution and an alleged “genocide” against Christians during a high-profile interfaith youth conference in Abuja today.
The event, themed “Let the Truth Set You Free,” comes amid escalating international scrutiny following the Trump administration’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for alleged violations of religious freedom.
Speaking to a gathering of over 1,000 young Christian leaders, Senator Tinubu, an ordained pastor herself, dismissed the U.S. narrative as a “distorted portrayal” that oversimplifies Nigeria’s complex security challenges and risks sowing division among its diverse populace. “Nigeria is not a country of concern in the way it’s being painted,” she declared, emphasizing the nation’s constitutional guarantees for religious freedom and the peaceful coexistence of Christians and Muslims across communities. “Our diversity is our strength, not a source of weakness. Terrorists do not discriminate by faith before they strike, the pain is shared by all Nigerians.”
The First Lady urged the youth to serve as “agents of reconciliation,” rejecting ethnic and religious bigotry while championing education and interfaith dialogue as tools for national healing. She highlighted the role of churches and mosques as “incubators of moral regeneration” under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to protecting all citizens regardless of creed.
Loudening her sentiments, Ambassador Belusochukwu Enwere, National Chairman of the Youth Wing of CAN (YOWICAN) and convener of the conference, criticized the CPC designation as an “overgeneralization” that ignores Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to combat insecurity. “This is a moment for dialogue, not defensiveness; for discernment, not division,” Enwere stated, pointing to recent attacks in states like Plateau, Benue, and Kaduna that have claimed lives across religious lines. He called on security agencies to enhance intelligence, equip forces, and prosecute perpetrators, while commending the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) for its peace-building initiatives. “Stop the killings of all Nigerians. Every life matters,” he implored, advocating for interfaith town halls and digital campaigns to amplify stories of resilience and shared suffering.
The pushback arrives on the heels of heightened U.S. rhetoric, including President Donald Trump’s threats of military intervention “guns blazing” if the alleged persecution persists, a move he first pursued during his initial term in 2020, only for the designation to be reversed under the Biden administration.
Trump’s recent actions, including ordering the Pentagon to plan potential operations, have drawn sharp rebukes from Nigerian officials. Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar warned that such threats could push Nigeria toward instability akin to Libya or Sudan, insinuating that the country’s challenges stem from socio-economic and political factors, not state-sanctioned religious bias.
Experts and data further bolster Nigeria’s stance. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reports that while violence has surged this year, surpassed only by Sudan and Somalia, only a fraction of civilian attacks (around 50 out of 1,923) explicitly target Christians for religious reasons, with groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP often striking indiscriminately.
Analysts like Ladd Serwat of ACLED argue that inflated figures, such as claims of 100,000 Christian deaths since 2009, conflate all political violence and lack verifiable sourcing.2a9bd2 The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has similarly decried the “fake genocide” narrative as politically motivated, accusing foreign lobbyists and separatist groups of exploiting insecurity for gain.
Public reaction has been mixed but largely supportive of domestic solutions over foreign intervention. Social media buzzed with calls for unity, with users like entrepreneur Bianca Comfort expressing hope that global attention might spur stronger action against insurgents without risking invasion.
Others, including a Lagos-based vendor, dismissed Trump’s troop deployment ideas as misguided, insisting Nigerians must chart their own path to peace.
While Nigeria navigates this tightrope, the conference’s closing prayer, a joint invocation by Christian and Muslim youth, symbolized a broader call for harmony. “Let the truth set us free from narratives that portray us as perpetrators rather than protectors,” Enwere concluded.
