In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
(Lagos, Saturday, 01/11/2025) The Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), Nigeria, expresses its strong condemnation and deep concern over the recent decision by the U.S. President Donald Trump to, once again, designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the pretext of alleged religious persecution of Christians.
This action is not only ill-motivated but premeditated – a political move aimed at weaponizing religion against Nigeria’s stability and sovereignty. The designation rests on a misleading narrative that paints Nigeria as an epicenter of global religious persecution, when in reality, Nigeria’s security crisis is complex, multifaceted, and driven primarily by many factors, including foreign interference, regional geopolitics, resource competition, corruption, and terrorism – not religion.
It is disingenuous and dangerous for American politicians to continually frame Nigeria’s internal security issues as “Christian persecution,” while ignoring the greater suffering of thousands of Muslims and other citizens who have also been victims of extremist violence, banditry, and endemic corruption.
By repeatedly singling out Nigeria for such labels, the Trump administration, its evangelical allies in Congress and local collaborators in Nigeria are fueling sectarian suspicion, distorting facts, and deepening mistrust between faith communities. This foreign-sponsored narrative threatens Nigeria’s fragile social cohesion and serves the interests of those who wish to keep us divided in order to exploit our abundant natural and human resources.
MPAC calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to respond with clarity, firmness, and strategy by:
1. Rejecting and diplomatically challenging the CPC designation as an unfair, divisive, and politically charged label.
2. Conducting an open and transparent investigation into the disturbing allegation made by a U.S. Congressman that USAID, an American government agency, may have been involved in funding Boko Haram terrorists. Such a claim, if substantiated, would expose the hypocrisy of those claiming to “save” Nigeria while covertly financing its destabilization.
3. Remaining vigilant against false-flag operations within Nigeria designed to reinforce the narrative of religious conflict and justify foreign interference.
4. Promoting interfaith solidarity and strengthening justice institutions to protect all citizens – regardless of their faith – against violence and marginalization.
5. Intensify focused campaign against terrorists and their sponsors, not only to rid the nation of all actors responsible for terrorism and banditry, but equally those sponsoring, supporting and benefitting from them.
MPAC also reminds the international community that Nigeria’s religious diversity is not a weakness but a strength, and that millions of Muslims and Christians continue to coexist peacefully across this nation despite shared anguish, hardship and provocations.
Those pushing the “Christian genocide” narrative from abroad have conveniently ignored the unrelenting attacks on Muslim communities in Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Sokoto, and Katsina – attacks that have claimed thousands of innocent lives. This selective outrage is a gross insult to the shared suffering of Nigerians across all divides.
We therefore urge Nigerians to see through this manipulation and stand united against every external attempt to inflame sectarian tensions or dictate our internal affairs under the guise of human rights advocacy.
Nigeria’s problems are solvable through justice, good governance, and unity – not through foreign interference dressed in missionary language.
MPAC stands firmly for justice, truth, fairness for all, and for national sovereignty. We reject this renewed attempt to stigmatize Nigeria and divide her people along religious lines. The message must be clear to all who wish to exploit our diversity.
- The End –
Disu Kamor
Executive Chairman
Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), Nigeria
kamor.disu@mpac-ng.org
www.mpac-ng.org
