Akinyemi: Genocide claim against Nigeria unjustified, could trigger travel bans
Bolaji Akinyemi, former minister of foreign affairs, says the claim of Christian genocide in Nigeria is unjustified and could lead to travel restrictions on Nigerians.
Akinyemi was reacting to statements by some United States officials and public figures accusing Nigeria of persecuting Christians.
US senator Ted Cruz recently introduced a bill to protect “persecuted” Christians in Nigeria, while Riley Moore, a member of the US House of Representatives, urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take diplomatic action against the Nigerian government.
Bill Maher, a US talk show host, also claimed that Christians are being “systematically exterminated” in the country.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Akinyemi said he was alarmed that Nigeria was being mentioned alongside Israel in discussions about genocide.
“As a Nigerian, I am depressed and upset that the charge of genocide will be levelled at my country.
“When you compare what is happening in Nigeria with what Netanyahu has done in the Middle East, to now link Nigeria and put us in the same basket as Israel and accuse us of genocide, I think it is unjustified,” he said.
He admitted that there have been troubling incidents of violence in the Middle Belt but insisted they do not amount to genocide.
“It is true that there are unsavoury developments in this country, especially in the Middle Belt, that worry us, but it doesn’t amount to genocide.
“We Nigerians must understand that there are consequences to our actions, and when we run down our own country unjustifiably, we demarket our image,” Akinyemi added.
The former minister criticised the government for responding slowly to the allegations, warning that inaction could harm Nigeria’s diplomatic standing.
“I don’t know why we waited for the matter to get this far into the US Congress before it became an issue of public concern.
“Before you know it, they will cancel passports, cancel visas, and when you want to run for Security Council positions, this matter will arise,” he said.
Akinyemi urged the federal government to treat he issue as a national priority rather than a partisan concern.
“The Nigerian government must take this issue seriously. At the highest level, the ministry of foreign affairs and the national security adviser should take it up directly with the United States,” he noted.
He advised the national security adviser to engage his counterpart in Washington to clarify Nigeria’s position.
On September 30, President Bola Tinubu dismissed the genocide allegations, describing them as unfounded. Speaking in Owerri, the Imo capital, Tinubu said no religion is under threat in the country.
On October 8, Mohammed Idris, minister of information, also described the claims as “ignorant, false, and baseless.”
