President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom, stating that the country remains a democracy grounded in constitutional guarantees of liberty and tolerance for all faiths.
In an official statement, Tinubu dismissed claims that Nigeria is religiously intolerant, insisting such characterisations do not reflect the country’s reality.
He said the government has made consistent and sincere efforts to protect freedom of religion and belief for all citizens.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” the president said.
He added that his administration, in office since 2023, has maintained open engagement with both Christian and Muslim leaders to strengthen unity and address national concerns.
Tinubu acknowledged ongoing security challenges affecting communities across different regions and faiths but emphasised that these issues are not driven by religious intolerance.
He stressed that the government remains committed to ensuring the safety and rights of all Nigerians regardless of their religion.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” he said, rejecting allegations of state-sponsored persecution.
The president reiterated that Nigeria does not encourage or support any form of religious persecution.
He maintained that the constitution provides protections to citizens of all faiths and that his administration upholds these principles.
Tinubu also expressed readiness to work with the United States and the wider international community to promote mutual understanding and enhance the protection of religious communities.
“Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths,” he stated.
The comments come amid growing international scrutiny of religious tensions in parts of Nigeria, including clashes between communities and extremist violence.
Tinubu’s remarks come after US President Donald Trump posted on Friday, without evidence, that “thousands of Christians are being killed (and) Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
Conservative politicians have fueled the accusations.
In March, US congressman Chris Smith called for Nigeria to be listed by the State Department as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) -- a move announced by Trump on Friday over what he called an “existential threat” to the African nation’s Christian population.
And in early October, US Senator Ted Cruz and House Republican Riley Moore accused the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to the “mass murder” of Christians.
Claims of Christian persecution have also been pushed by some in Nigeria, where ethnic, religious and regional divisions have flared with deadly consequences in the past and still shape the country’s modern politics.
Some US officials argue Christians in Nigeria are facing a “genocide”—a claim that Abuja denies.
Nigeria is almost evenly divided between a Muslim-majority north and a largely Christian south.
The country is consumed by security issues. Its northeastern region is at the epicenter of a Boko Haram jihadist insurgency, which has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced more than two million since 2009, according to the United Nations.
In central Nigeria, majority-Muslim herders have repeatedly clashed with majority-Christian farmers. The conflict is frequently portrayed as inter-religious but generally stems from competition over land access.
