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By Keem Abdul
“Prepare for possible action.” ~ Trump
That was the order the US President, Donald Trump, issued to his Department of War in response to allegations of anti-Christian violence in Nigeria – which he blamed on radical Islamic terrorists. The order follows a post he made on social media some days back, in which he announced that the US would immediately cut off all assistance to Nigeria if the Nigerian government continued to allow the killing of Christians. The US, he said, “may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing,’. He described his threatened attack as “fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” He also announced that Nigeria would be added to the Department of State’s list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) – a governance barometer to monitor religious persecution around the world. Recall that Nigeria was first placed on the CPC list by the U.S. in 2020 over what that country’s State Department called ‘systematic violations of religious freedom.’ The designation was lifted in 2023.
Days before the President’s posts, a number of US (mostly Republican) political figures claimed that violent disputes in Nigeria are part of a systematic campaign of Christian genocide. The most prominent among them was the Republican Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, who urged the US Congress to designate Nigeria as a violator of religious freedom. More recently, the American comedian and TV host, Bill Maher, has expounded on this narrative on his popular syndicated show. “I’m not a Christian,” he said, “but they are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria … This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza. They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country.”
With human rights groups – in Nigeria and around the globe – consistently calling on successive governments in Nigeria, including the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, to do more to address insurgency, banditry, herder-farmer clashes and ethnic disputes in the country, both the government and some stakeholders say that claims of a Christian genocide are not only false but also a trivialization of much deeper socio-economic and cultural issues, and that Trump is simply amplifying a dangerous ‘far-right’ narrative. Armed groups like Boko Haram, these stakeholders say, have historically targeted both Muslims and Christians – bombing markets, churches and mosques in equal measure. Similarly, they note, banditry in Northern Nigeria often pits Fulani herders against (predominantly Muslim) Hausa communities – nuances of Nigeria’s realities that foreign media mercenaries, eager to stoke ethno-religious divisions, fail to grasp or deliberately ignore.
Others, while acknowledging the existential threats Christians face in some parts of the country, have called on the Trump administration to seek effective ways of working with Nigerian authorities to address the common enemy (e.g. by offering military and other assistance) as opposed to embarking on unilateral military action – saying such a move would be counterproductive.
In his comments on the matter, President Tinubu has stressed that his government “continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.” The characterization of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant society, he said, “does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians. Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so.”
No matter how one looks at the situation – and whether the killings in various parts of Nigeria amount to a genocide, or whether they target any specific religious group – there is no denying the fact that Nigeria, whose population is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims, has long endured harrowing insecurity, which must be tackled with all the seriousness and urgency it deserves.
To be sure, the killing of ONE innocent person is a monumental tragedy and an attack on our common humanity, let alone the mass killing of innocents. But the use of the word, ‘genocide’ (legally defined as ‘certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group’) takes on a deeper and problematic dimension – which is why governments or groups the world over are often so vociferous in denying complicity whenever they are accused of perpetrating it. Turkey, for example, has for decades rejected the international community’s designation of its actions against the Armenian population in 1915-16 (during WW I) as ‘genocide’. As we speak, in fact, the State of Israel is pushing back against widespread accusations of genocide in Gaza during its two-year conflict with the Palestinian militant group, Hamas. Clear, undeniable cases of genocide, however, include the Jewish Holocaust perpetrated by Germany’s Nazi regime during WW II, and the Rwandan genocide of 1994, among others.
In instances where a nation is accused of genocide, it has sought to control the narrative, first by noting international concern about the issue in question and then redoubling its efforts to address it. It then works to dispel misconceptions likely to muddy the waters and further complicate an already complex situation. More than just responding to Trump’s threat, Tinubu must lead the narrative, speak with presence and power. Nigeria’s silence on the global stage has long created a vacuum, and because nature abhors a vacuum, as they say, this silence has been filled by half-truths and deliberate falsehoods by people with Trump-sized platforms and megaphones. Facts, diplomacy, and firm leadership must be our watchwords going forward, so as to stop providing fodder for external agendas and prevent the Trumps of this world (whose only language is presence and power) from defining our story for us.
Furthermore, several threatening tweets by President Trump, the US Secretary of War, Peter Hegseth, as well as Congressman Riley M. Moore, have presented a worrisome number of “ifs”, suggesting the hell-bent disposition of the Trump-led US government towards military action if the urgent conditions are not met. Such unequivocal and brazen threats from the USA, regardless of whether they are perceived as an affront or international concern, suggest there are consequences for inaction by the Nigerian government, with further hesitation making matters worse. The knee jerk reactions by the Nigerian government representatives and aides since Friday, for instance, is a diplomatic gaffe that hints the general lethargy with which the Nigerian government has responded to national insecurity, further worsening the negative perception.
Even as Tinubu has yet to appoint ambassadors since assuming office, nothing stops the Nigerian government from exploring other avenues for engaging Washington. For example, the government could appoint a high-powered government delegation comprised of former diplomats Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, (former Foreign Affairs Minister), Chief Emeka Anyaoku (former Secretary General Commonwealth) and Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe (top diplomat cum intelligence operative) meeting with Congressmen at the Capitol in Washington to allay their fears and presenting a diplomatic letter (Formal First Person Note) from President Bola Tinubu or Yusuff Tuggar highlighting the action plan undertaken by the administration and efforts made so far in quelling insecurity in the country.
In fostering positive narratives, President Tinubu could also delegate representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other notable Christian leaders such as Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), and Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel to grant press conference countering the claims of the Christian genocide.
Additionally, President Tinubu must situate the problem where it belongs – namely, that issues surrounding the deadly violence in Nigeria are NOT about religion but a deadly cocktail of insecurity, herder-farmer clashes, cross-border infiltrations, illegal mining, fights over dwindling resources, population pressures and climate change. He must also affirm that in spite of these challenges, Nigeria remains a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.
And not only must he reiterate his government’s readiness to protect all citizens regardless of faith or ethnicity, it must be SEEN to be doing so. Tinubu must also highlight his government’s successes in tackling insecurity since May 2023, as a result of which terrorism-related deaths have fallen from 2,600 a month before that date to fewer than 200 today.
Far from being a disgraced nation (in Trump’s words), Nigeria must show itself as a strong, resilient and united nation with a rich history, a diverse culture, and a bright future.
What the government must NOT do is to act out of panic or indulge in knee-jerk reactions; Nigeria has navigated complex geopolitical situations before, and can do so again. In international relations, strong words often serve as strategic pressure, aimed at achieving specific goals. What is called for at this time is wisdom, strategic foresight, and the ability to approach situations with clarity and level-headedness. In engaging with international critics, Nigeria must prioritize diplomacy, firmness, and confidence as she engages in constructive dialogue and clarifies misconceptions. History has shown that nations that remain calm and composed in the face of adversity often emerge stronger.
- Keem Abdul, a public relations guru, publisher and writer, hails from Lagos. He can be reached via text on +2349046303816 or Akeemabdul2023@gmail.com
