The Federal Government, on Wednesday, held a meeting with members of the diplomatic corps in Abuja, where it addressed the allegations of religious persecution in Nigeria and also rejected the United States? designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern, insisting that the country didn?t target any group on the basis of faith.

Speaking at the diplomatic briefing in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dunoma Ahmed, stated that claims of religious persecution misrepresented the country?s legal and social framework.

Ahmed said Nigeria?s national laws were religion-neutral and designed to protect all communities equally. He emphasized that there was no offence of blasphemy in the national legal framework, adding that Shari?a laws applicable in some northern states applied only to Muslims and operated under the supervision of the secular judicial system.

?Christian and Muslim institutions continue to operate freely, promoting peaceful coexistence,? he said.

Also, addressing journalists in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, faulted the US designation of Nigeria, describing it as a product of ?misrepresentation and misinformation.?

According to Idris, terrorism, banditry, and other violent crimes in the country are not religiously motivated.

?Criminal activities and terrorism do not target any particular religious group. This is not about religion, it is about crime,? he maintained.

The minister stated that since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, security agencies had neutralized more than 13,500 terrorists, arrested over 17,000 suspects, and rescued more than 9,850 abducted persons, including women and children.

He said, ?Since May 2023, when he (Tinubu) took office, Nigeria?s security agencies have neutralized more than 13,500 terrorists through sustained operations, and they have arrested over 17,000 suspects who are now undergoing interrogation and prosecution for various offences.

?Also, more than 9,850 people abducted by these terrorists, including women and children, have been rescued and reintegrated with their families. It is important to note that the menace of terrorism in Nigeria does not exclusively target any religious or ethnic group. ?

He added that the President was engaging diplomatic channels to address the concerns raised by Washington and to correct what he described as a ?misjudgment of Nigeria?s reality.?

?The Government of Nigeria remains open and willing to work closely with the international community, including the United States and other partners, to achieve the shared goal of completely eliminating terrorism and violent extremism on Nigerian soil. The President has pledged to ensure that all those making the country unsafe are permanently removed.

He added, ?Regarding the current misrepresentation of Nigeria?s security situation by the United States, President Tinubu is taking the lead in addressing all areas of misunderstanding through diplomatic and political channels.

?While we welcome collaboration, assistance, and partnership from all foreign allies, including the United States, Nigeria is not denying that we face serious security challenges. We invite all our partners and friends to join us in understanding our situation and supporting our efforts to eliminate this menace.?

Keyamo writes Trump

In a related development, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, wrote to US President, Donald Trump, to counter claims of targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.

In a letter posted on his verified X handle on Tuesday, Keyamo said he felt compelled to respond ?as a Christian and as a public official.? He argued that Nigeria was being wrongly portrayed as a country where Christians were under systematic attack, adding that even President Tinubu?s immediate family members are Christians.

According to Keyamo, the narrative of Christian genocide is exaggerated and misleading, and should not form the basis of foreign policy decisions.

The minister, recalling his background, noted that he had spent much of his professional life advocating for the rights of the downtrodden, a commitment, he said, earned him the Global Human Rights Award in Washington in 2017 from the United States Global Leadership Council, chaired at the time by Dr. Reuben Egolf.

Keyamo intimated Trump of Tinubu?s record of religious tolerance, pointing out that despite being a Muslim himself, the President?s wife, Oluremi Tinubu, is a pastor in one of Nigeria?s largest Pentecostal churches, and his children practising Christians.

He said, ?President Tinubu is a known moderate, who, during his time as Governor of Lagos State, regularly invited Christian pastors for prayers and worship sessions at the Government House. He would be the last person to either adopt the killing of Christians as a state policy or condone such acts.?

Olurode warns FG

Meanwhile, a former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Lai Olurode, has urged the Federal Government to tread cautiously in its engagement with the US.

In a statement on Wednesday, Olurode advised that diplomacy, rather than emotional or defensive patriotism, should guide Nigeria?s response to the US designation and Trump?s recent comments.

Warning that it may be ?suicidal to walk into America?s death trap,? Olurode, a former Professor of Sociology at the University of Lagos, said Trump could ?even be angry with the truth.?

Suggesting specifically how the FG should respond to the listing of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, Olurode added, ?In his response to Mr. Trump?s provocative moves, President Tinubu?s government should display decorum and respect for the most powerful country in a unipolar world. Nigeria shouldn?t turn itself into a theatre of war, which it is luring itself into.

?Simultaneously, I urge Nigeria?s elites to sink their differences and mobilize national sentiments behind the government of Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu. If Nigeria goes under, there will be no country for the pursuits of our diverse aspirations.

?There seems to be no country that can stop America. We should be diplomatic rather than being emotional or displaying morbid patriotism. President Trump can be angry with even the truth. So far, our government has acted with caution and with the consciousness that America can kill Nigeria?s fly with a sledgehammer. It is suicidal to walk into America?s death trap.?

Enang advises govt

Former presidential aide, Senator Ita Enang, on Wednesday cautioned the FG against taking hasty or ill-considered actions following the United States threat.

The development generated intense debate across Nigeria, particularly after former U.S. President Donald Trump was quoted as threatening tougher measures if Washington?s concerns are ignored.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Enang said the matter carried serious foreign policy implications and should not be handled through spontaneous or uncoordinated reactions by government officials.

?This is a diplomatic issue that must be treated with utmost caution,? he warned. ?Not every government official should make statements capable of inflaming the situation or misrepresenting Nigeria?s position.?

Enang, a former Special Adviser to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters (Senate), advised that the Presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Intelligence Agency, and the leadership of the National Assembly should jointly craft a unified national response.

He also proposed that both chambers of the National Assembly convene a joint sitting to adopt a coordinated resolution to ensure, as he put it, that Nigeria speaks ?with one national voice.?

Turning to domestic concerns, Enang lamented the financial pressure on the Federal Government, describing it as ?fiscally overstretched? while states and local governments enjoy increased allocations from the Federation Account.

?The truth is that the Federal Government is broke,? he said. ?It cannot meet its constitutional obligations because its share of national revenue is too small relative to its responsibilities.

?State governments are celebrating higher allocations, but the Federal Government that generates and disburses these funds is borrowing just to feed its children.?

The former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business described the current revenue allocation formula as ?obsolete,? arguing that it no longer reflects the scale of federal responsibilities.

?Today, the Federal Government funds the army, police, DSS, civil defence, road safety, and several other agencies, yet it receives just about half of the national revenue. It makes neither fiscal nor moral sense,? he said.

Nigerian Air Force

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, on Wednesday, summoned all Air Component Commanders from ongoing operations nationwide, directing them to intensify the tempo of precision air strikes.

Aneke specifically directed the commanders to fly smarter and strike harder against terrorists, insurgents, and armed criminal gangs.

A statement on Wednesday by the Air Force spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said top operational commanders from every theatre of conflict ? from the forests of Zamfara to the riverine enclaves of the Niger Delta and the rugged terrain of the North-East were present.

Ejodame said the air chief noted that the days ahead demanded agility, precision, and intelligence-driven warfare.

?We must fly smarter and strike harder, not only to neutralize threats but to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians. Every mission must reflect professionalism, purpose, and patriotism,? he was quoted as saying.

Aneke noted that the evolving nature of threats across theatres required synchronization of air, land, and maritime operations to achieve joint mission success. (The PUNCH)

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