In a bid to douse the current tension arising from the recent designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by the United States, the Federal Government of Nigeria, yesterday met with members of the diplomatic corps, comprising Ambassadors and Head of Foreign Missions in the country, to formally brief them on the issue and solicit their support.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Du- noma Umar Ahmed, who addressed the envoys on behalf of the government, said recent claims suggest- ing systemic religious per- secution in Nigeria were unfounded and fundamen- tally a misinformation.
Ahmed expressed dis- may that those promoting the allegation have mis- represented Nigeria’s sec- ular constitutional order and its record in protecting religious freedom. He said that Nigeria has over the years maintained a de- mographic balance, where the Christian and Muslim populations were approxi- mately equal.
According to him, Nige- ria’s interwoven commu- nities, and its functioning multi- religious democracy stand as clear evidence of the peaceful coexistence of its citizens. Nigeria, Ahmed ex- plained, remains a global exemplar of religious plurality and democratic endurance, adding that the 1999 Constitution guaran- tees complete freedom of thought, conscience, and religion and prohibits the adoption of any state reli- gion.
“The Nigerian state is secular in both structure and function; policies and institutions operate with- out religious bias, ensur- ing that Christians and Muslims hold leadership positions across all levels,” he said.
Apparently responding to the insinuations that the government had not done enough in securing lives and property of its citizens, Ahmed explained that national security re- mains a top priority for the Tinubu administration, which has adopted a comprehensive approach combining military strength, intelligence, diplomacy, and community engage- ment.
He said the current administration has sus- tained military operations such as Operation Hadin Kai and Operation Lake Sanity which have de- graded Boko Haram and ISWAP, reclaimed vast territories and facilitated the return of millions of displaced persons.
“Advanced surveil- lance technologies are being deployed to combat banditry and kidnapping, while community-based peace building and the Na- tional Early Warning and Response System (NEWS) enhance conflict preven- tion. Civil-military coop- eration has strengthened trust, improved intelligence gathering, and reduced the recruitment of extremists. “Nigeria’s judiciary has consistently demonstrated its independence, protecting freedom of expression and religion.
The state continues to wage a comprehensive counter-terrorism campaign against groups that target Nigerians of all faiths. It is therefore inaccurate to characterise Nigeria’s complex security challenges as manifestations of state- sanctioned religious intolerance,” he said. On the blasphemy and persecution narrative, Ahmed told the diplomats that Nigeria’s national legal framework contains no offence of blasphemy. The existing public-order laws, he said, were religion-neutral and protected all commu- nities equally from incite- ment to violence.
