. NSCIA urges FG to expose those behind genocide allegation

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has advised thefederal government to treat the allegationof Christian genocide in Nigeria as a matter of national importance rather than a partisan dispute.

He said the issue could lead to travel bans and visa restrictions against Nigerians.

This is just as the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has challenged the federal government to expose and hold accountable those allegedly behind what it described as a “false and treasonable campaign” portraying Nigeria as a country conducting a genocidal war against Christians.

Akinyemi was reacting to claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria from prominent voices in the United States.

A US senator, Ted Cruz, recently proposeda bill that seeks to protect “persecuted” Christians in Nigeria.

A member of the US House of Representatives, Riley Moore, had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately take decisive diplomatic action against the Nigerian government over the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in the country.

A US comedian and talk show host, Bill Maher, had also alleged that Christians are being systematically exterminated in Nigeria by terror groups.

Speaking during a television interview at the weekend, Akinyemi said he was alarmed that Nigeria was being mentioned in the same breath as Israel regarding genocide accusations.

 “The Nigerian government must take this issue seriously,” Akinyemi said.

“This is not an issue for just the Senate versus the Senate. At the highest level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Adviser  should take it up directly with the United States.”

Akinyemi called on the National Security Adviser (NSA) to engage his counterpart in Washington and clarify Nigeria’s position.

“Now that the NSA is saddled with internal and domestic security affairs, maybe he should take it up at that level with his colleague in the United States and explain matters clearly,” he added.

The former minister added that the charge, if not addressed promptly, could damage the country’s global reputation and diplomatic ties.

“As a Nigerian, I am depressed and upset that the charge of genocide will be levelled at my country,” he said.

“When you compare what is happening in Nigeria with what Netanyahu has done in the Middle East, to now link Nigeria and put us in the same basket as Israel and accuse us of genocide, I think it is unjustified.”

Akinyemi admitted that there had been troubling incidents of violence in the Middle Belt but insisted they did not constitute genocide.

He also cautioned Nigerians against spreading narratives that tarnish the nation’s image abroad.

“It is true that there are unsavoury developments in this country, especially in the middle belt, that worry us, but it doesn’t amount to genocide,” he said.

“We, Nigerians, must understand that there are consequences to our actions, and when we run down our own country unjustifiably, we de-market our image, and every Nigerian gets affected by what is said or unsaid.”

He faulted the government for reacting slowly to the allegation, saying it should have intervened before the matter reached the US Congress.

 “I don’t know why we waited for the matter to get this far into the US Congress before it became an issue of public concern in Nigeria,” he said.

“Before you know it, they will cancel passports, cancel visas, and when you want to run for security council positions, this matter will arise, and genocide will now be attached to the name and status of our country.”

NSCIA Urges FG to Expose those Behind Genocide Allegation

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has challenged the federal government to expose and hold accountable those allegedly behind what it described as a “false and treasonable campaign” portraying Nigeria as a country conducting a genocidal war against Christians.

In a statement issued weekend by its Deputy National Legal Adviser, Haroun Muhammad Eze, the apex Islamic body said the government’s failure to identify and publicly name the local originators of the “malicious propaganda” was undermining its own efforts to defend the country’s image globally.

The statement, entitled ‘Let’s Call a Spade a Spade About the Real Enemies of Nigeria,’ accused some leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of instigating the false narrative for personal and political gain.

The NSCIA said while it appreciated the “patriotic responses” of several government agencies and the National Assembly in rejecting recent international claims of systematic persecution of Christians, it was concerned that the government stopped short of “speaking the whole truth.”

“Council wondered why the government could not, at least for once, go the whole hog by calling a spade a spade, by speaking the whole truth,” the statement said.

The NSCIA alleged that certain CAN leaders had “found a big business in self-flagellation,” resorting to “activities that verge on treason” to attract sympathy and funding from foreign interests.

“These elements exploit religious antipathy as an easy pathway to global recognition and fame,” it said.

According to the Council, the global perception that Nigeria is unsafe for Christians was being deliberately fuelled by “political desperadoes and religious irredentists” seeking to incite religious conflict and delegitimize the government.

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