No truth in Christian genocide claim, FG insists

The Federal Government on Monday again described allegations of a ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria as false and malicious propaganda aimed at damaging the country’s global reputation.

Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, who spoke in Abuja at the National Unveiling of the World Public Relations Forum themed “Responsible Communication: The Voice of the World,” said the claim was part of a foreign-sponsored campaign to sow division and weaken Nigeria’s unity.

Claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria resurfaced last month after U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, during a podcast with television host Bill Maher, alleged that Christians were being “systematically targeted and killed” — a situation he described as genocide.

Maher and political commentator Van Jones echoed the claims, accusing the Nigerian government of complicity.

The Nigerian government swiftly rejected the allegations, maintaining that insecurity in the country stems from terrorism, banditry, and criminality—not religion.

Last Thursday, the Senate also dismissed the claims as “false, divisive, and capable of undermining national unity.”

But Idris insisted that those peddling the speculation are not doing the nation any good.

He said, “This is a propaganda externally woven by those who want to weaken our unity. For the umpteenth time, I am emphatic that there’s no iota of truth in the claim of a ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria.

“I therefore urge us to use the instruments of public relations, crafted in truths and facts, to vehemently reject these despicable single narratives about Nigeria.”

The minister urged Nigerians to be wary of such narratives, stressing that the nation’s diversity and democratic strength should not be misrepresented as religious persecution.

“We must come to terms with existential reputational threats to our national brand, in which external purveyors of untruth are mischaracterising our nation as a destination for a so-called persecution of people based on their religious faiths,” he said.

He maintained that Nigeria, under President Bola Tinubu, is “reforming, rebranding, and re-emerging—driven by innovation, private sector growth, and renewed international confidence.”

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The minister further called on communicators to “become the voice of responsibility—the voice of the world that heals divisions, inspires hope, and drives development.”

Meanwhile, the Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Dr Yahaya Abubakar, has commended the organisers for their foresight and pledged full traditional support for the upcoming global forum.

“For anything you want to do in life, you must plan. Plan early, and you achieve success,” he said.

Former Niger State Governor, Dr Babangida Aliyu, also lauded the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations for its innovation, particularly its plan to establish a university by 2026.

“My happiness is that NIPR is institutionalizing itself as a proper organization because they have always been first in many things,” he said, expressing confidence that Nigeria will deliver “an excellent show” that reshapes global perception of the country.

“Now that we don’t have ambassadors, we need people to come, so that when they leave, they will be saying, oh, this Nigeria is not what they have to read about,” Aliyu added.

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