The Presidency has dismissed renewed allegations by some Western figures, including United States Senator Ted Cruz and television host Bill Maher, claiming that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria.
In a response, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Engagement and Strategy, O’tega Ogra, said in a statement that there is “no Christian genocide in Nigeria,” noting that the country faces terrorism, not religious conflict.
He stressed that Nigerian soldiers, both Muslims and Christians, are united in defending one nation under one flag.
Ogra stated that those making such claims misunderstand Nigeria’s reality, maintaining that “Nigeria will not be lectured by those who confuse our struggle for security with a struggle of faith.”
He described the latest comments from Senator Cruz as “old colonial arrogance dressed in modern language,” pointing out that “Nigeria does not legislate for Texas, and Texas will not legislate for Nigeria.”
Ogra stressed that Nigeria’s diversity has long been a source of strength, with both Islam and Christianity coexisting for centuries before the creation of the American Republic.
According to him the country’s constitution forbids any state religion and that Christians and Muslims continue to live peacefully in many communities.
The Presidential aide concluded that Nigeria’s story would be told by its citizens, not rewritten from abroad, emphasizing that “the real story of Nigeria is not persecution but perseverance.”
PR /Bello Wakili.
