Another View on The Southerner Newspaper
Saturday, November 29, 2025

Thursday penultimate week, the Nigerian Government’s team was at the US Congress to make a presentation denying that, there is Christian persecution or genocide in Nigeria. The meeting once again revealed the kind of awkward and insensitive leadership in Nigeria.

Our leaders seem not to care about the wailing and dying souls. After all, it doesn’t affect their bank alerts. In the face of every reality, the government of Nigeria denied quibbling, that Christians, especially in the Northern part of the country continue to suffer death, violence, displacement, rape and arson at the hands of some Islamic militant groups.

Unfortunately for the lacklustre team, comprising the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, CDS Femi Oluyede, the Minister of State for External Affaire, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, Justice Minister, Kunle Fagbemi (SAN) and others.

While before the Congress making presentations with reckless innuendos, the Christian team of the Catholic Church also presented very overwhelming evidences of Christian genocide in Plateau, Benue and other Northern states of Nigeria.

The government team was highly embarrassed. Ribadu almost cried because the Catholic priests were very organized, articulate, thorough, deep, precise with facts and figures to prove their presentations. There was no propaganda, lies or fake stories to attract any underserved sympathy. It was straight to the point.

Of course, give it to the Catholic Church, their priests are usually well educated and experienced in theology, philosophy, and general knowledge. In their fold were professors, PhD and Master’s degree holders in different fields of knowledge. They simply don’t joke with education.

Meanwhile, the bandits attacked and abducted mostly children and women without any resistance from our security agencies in Sokoto, Niger, Kwara and possibly other places.

After the American Congress heard both sides, they were bewildered by the position of the Nigerian Government’ How can the Federal Government of Nigeria run to America with its officials and expect to convince the Americans just like that? The American government was already aware that, the Federal Government of Nigeria representatives were not going to present the facts but rather distort the real issues. And that, they did.

It is very shameful that even our Police, military and Justice ministry were included in that team to go and defend the indefensible before men and women who are more detailed in the happenings in Nigeria than our government officials.

That there is persecution of Christians in Nigeria is a known fact that cannot be denied. As it is, some reports have confirmed that, the United States Congress has overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump’s possible military intervention in Nigeria to tackle terrorism.

It is a wrong public relations to deny the obvious truth. It is a betrayal of trust, a slap on citizens suffering the pains of vandals who are killing and commiting all manner of heinous crimes under the cover of religion.

The slaughter of innocent Christians in Nigeria has continued for more than fifteen years with no strong challenge from the Federal Government and its security agencies. The government has completely abdicated from its primary responsibility – protection of lives and property.

Whether anyone accepts it or not, Christianity in Nigeria is under attack by some criminals claiming to be Muslims. Just last week alone, over 300 students were abducted from a Catholic school in Niger state by sn Islamic terrorists group.

38 worshippers were abducted from an Apostolic Church during worship in Kwara state. Again, some 25 students were also abducted in Kebbi state and taken into captivity by Islamic terrorists while their Vice Principal was instantly executed.

This is where we are presently. A country with no government and security to protect the lives of her people is not worth its name and should’n’t enjoy the respect of its citizens and the international community.

Leah Sharibu is nowhere to be found till date since her abduction simply because she is a Christian.

Deborah Samuel was set ablaze in her school by some religious fanatics because she was a Christian who they claimed blasphemed against Islam.

The stories of Chibok and Dapchi have not left our memories. The Nigerian Government in all these atrocities looked the other way as if nothing happened yet, families wail sorrowed for the loss of their loved ones. Somehow, religious barbarism is gradually becoming a way of life in Nigeria.

It is highly regrettable that, countries of the world are trying to adapt to new technologies, new economic, realities of the moment and, prepare their citizens and establishments to face the challenges of the future.

Our leaders in Nigeria are busy daily playing retrogressive politics of religion and those who occupy political positions go on looting our common patrimony. That’s the only known project of our political leaders.

The Nigerian delegation failed to convince the American Congress of the real happenings back home. US Congress man, Riley Moore made it clear that, there is violence against Christians in Nigeria.

Of course, that is not debatable anymore. The only reason that will convince America not to act is when they see positive changes immediately. Is there going to be any? Does this government possess the war chest to act?

If this government is sincere to its people, there was no point sending the delegation of merry-go-rounds to the American Congress to deny the obvious but rather to overhaul our security architecture and engage these hoodlums seriously once and for all, now or never.

Our military would have been led into the strongholds of these Islamic militants by our security chiefs to unleash terror on the bandits until they are flattened.

All the military battalions, machine guns, armoured tanks on the entourage of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker, Ministers, Governors, Service Chiefs, etc. would have been released to fight the bandits until they are defeated.

It is the actions from our government and military that can pacify the Americans not this Nigerian officials jamboree trip.

Prior to the coming of the APC to Presidential Villa, they boasted how their government would flush out these militants out of existence in a matter of months. But here we are and the APC has been in power since 2015 and these boys have become more daring. They have practically over-ran our military. They slaughter our military boys and officers easily and have actually exposed the Nigerian military to ridicule before the world.

Riley emphasized that America under President Donald Trump is resolute, committed and determined to eradicate violence and terrorists groups causing mayhem in Nigeria. That America will not stand aloof while there is a continuation of the killings, persecutions against Christians in Nigeria.

The Nigerian delegation left Nigeria unprepared. There was nothing the Federal Government and Security Agencies were already doing to show some form of seriousness at tackling the killers.

In the last one week, there were several attacks and abductions without any reprisal from our military or police.

The government delegation missed the single opportunity of possibly stopping President Donald Trump from carrying out his threats because of their lack of deep thinking and tact. There was no thorough homework.

They never met with some of the religious leaders especially, the Catholic Archdiocese of Benue or Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, but as usual, they packed themselves and jumped into the next available flight, off to Washington DC. The estacode may have been more important to the Nigerian officials than whatever.