THE United States President Donald Trump, on Friday, redesignated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ owing to allegations of Christian genocide in the country.
Trump announced his decision in a Truth Social post, which was later shared on the White House’s X handle. “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” he claimed. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN” — But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!” Mr Trump wrote.
According to the US Department of States, the ‘Country of Particular Concern (CPC)’ tag is often given to a nation that engages in severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998.
Nigeria was last given this tag in December 2020 but was removed from the list in November 2021.
Economists and political analysts say the tag will have some implications for Nigeria, noting that the US State Department will begin to mount pressure on the nation to come up with policies to protect Christians and other faith groups.
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“It could sell a fake story to investors that Nigeria is not safe for Christians,”said an economist, Mr Reuben Asalor. “You know some investors are Christians too, while a few others put their money in faith-based sectors. This can scare them away.”
“It could suggest to investors that Nigeria tolerates persecution of a particular faith, which generally could be a setback. Some foreign investors care about the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risk. So, this kind of tag could scare them away.”
An international economist, Dr Raph Nwaezue, explained that the designation could influence the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programmes away from Nigeria.
“You should never underestimate the United States’ influence on the Bretton Woods’ institutions. So, if we are unlucky, some of the loans and other programmes we are expecting from global funders may be halted,” Nwaezue said, stressing that Abuja should quickly engage Washington.
“This is a campaign that is neither factual nor true, but it appears that there is some agenda against the Bola Tinubu government.”
Analysts further say that the tag could hurt the nation’s image internationally, especially in human-rights and governance rankings. Some say the U.S. may refuse to sell arms to Nigeria or impose visa bans on Nigerian officials linked to religious violence or complicity.
“You can’t underestimate President Trump,” said a political scientist, Ms Georgina Etete. “He could go to any length to justify the tag. We may not be able to purchase arms to fight terrorism. We may not be able to access some assistance to end terrorism in Nigeria.”
How it began
Some United States’ lawmakers and television hosts began spreading the news this year that there were systematic killings of Christians in Nigeria. “I’m not a Christian, but they are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria. They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009. They’ve burned 18,000 churches. These are the Islamists, Boko Haram,” said American comedian and television host, Mr Bill Maher, in his recent show.
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Similarly, United States Senator Ted Cruz had accused the Nigerian government of enabling a ‘massacre’ against Christians, citing rising number of attacks against Christians in central Nigeria.
In an X post, Cruz said 50,000 Christians had been killed since 2009 with 2,000 schools and 18,000 churches destroyed by ‘Islamist’ armed groups.
Rep Riley Moore had also led the call to recognise the violence against Christians in Nigeria. However, the Nigerian government dismissed the claim, saying that terrorists also killed Muslims.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris, said such claims were ‘misleading and divisive,’ noting that violent extremists targeted Nigerians of all faiths – Muslims, Christians, and non-religious communities alike.
“The Nigerian story is not one of genocide, but of resilience, diversity, and peaceful coexistence,” Idris noted, urging the international media to avoid sensationalism and support the country’s fight against terrorism.
