The Nigerian Islamic Leadership Condemns U.S. Claims of Christian Persecution
The Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Prof. Ishaq O. Oloyede, has strongly refuted recent allegations by the United States that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria. According to Prof. Oloyede, these claims are not only unfounded but also politically motivated, aimed at destabilizing the country.
At a press conference held in Abuja, Prof. Oloyede emphasized that the narrative of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria is baseless. He argued that the security challenges facing the nation affect all citizens regardless of their faith. “We have found that there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria,” he said, adding that the terrorism in the country, carried out by groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, targets both Muslims and Christians indiscriminately.
Prof. Oloyede pointed out that these extremist groups are not representative of Islam and should be seen as enemies of all Nigerians. He further alleged that some of these groups may have been indirectly supported or created by foreign actors, including the United States. “It is publicly acknowledged that the United States of America created Al-Qaeda,” he said, suggesting that U.S. agencies have, at times, funded terrorist networks.
The NSCIA leader linked the U.S. focus on Nigeria to the country’s recent foreign policy decisions. “This campaign escalated immediately after Nigeria reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution and solidarity with the Palestinian people at the UN General Assembly,” he explained. He suggested that far-right and pro-Israeli groups in the U.S. were using the genocide narrative to divert attention from events in Gaza.
Prof. Oloyede accused both domestic and foreign actors of exploiting religion for political gain. He specifically named Senator Cruz and Congressman Moore as individuals pushing this narrative in the U.S. Congress. “Who benefits from the lie? There are foreign instigators, specialists of American politicians, who seek to energise their domestic evangelical base,” he said.
He urged the international community to reject what he called a “false, dangerous, and destabilising narrative.” Prof. Oloyede called on President Trump to retract his statement against Nigeria and instead assist the country with credible intelligence. He also stressed the importance of collaboration between the U.S. and the Nigerian government. “If the United States is sincere, it should collaborate with the Nigerian armed forces, help them fight insurgency, grant access to equipment and other logistics, but not determine our course unilaterally,” he added.
Prof. Oloyede highlighted that Nigeria’s security challenges stem from multiple factors, including climate change, poverty, unemployment, criminality, and poor governance. “This is not a religious war. Muslims and Christians alike are victims of perennial insecurity,” he said.
He concluded by urging Nigerians and the international press to be fair and accurate in their reporting. “We call on the Nigerian government to redouble its efforts to protect all citizens, destroy bandits and terrorists, and expose domestic instigators of divisive lies,” he said. “The stability of Nigeria is not for foreign actors to manipulate; we will not allow external interference to exploit our religious diversity.”
A Call for Unity Against External Manipulation
Similarly, the Amir of the Abuja Muslim Forum (AMF) Waqf Endowment Team, Abdulrazaq Ajani, dismissed the U.S. claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria as false and misleading. During an interview at the Waqf Endowment public lecture, Ajani stated that the narrative of religious persecution was being exaggerated by external interests seeking to exploit Nigeria’s internal challenges.
Ajani argued that Nigeria’s conflicts are not driven by religion but by criminality and bad governance. “It’s very unfortunate because this is an internal affair within the people of Nigeria. We only have two groups of people in this country – the good and the bad. As we have bad elements in Islam, we also have bad elements in the Christian world,” he said.
He encouraged Nigerians to unite beyond religious divides to tackle insecurity and external manipulation. “The good Muslims and the good Christians must team up to fight the bad elements in our society,” he said. Ajani noted that killings across the country are not driven by faith but by criminal activity.
Ajani added that external powers, including those promoting the genocide narrative, are interested in destabilizing African nations to exploit their resources. “They have been to Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Libya. The result is always negative. They do not come to help but to steal our natural resources,” he said.
He urged Nigerians, both Muslims and Christians, to resist such divisive propaganda. “The Christians should be wise enough, and the Muslims should be wise enough, to team up and fight the bad elements in our society. It’s a very simple message,” he said.
Reviving the Waqf System for Sustainable Development
In his lecture, the Guest Speaker, Dr. Abubakar Abdullahi Lamido, Director-General of the Gombe State Zakat and Sadaqah Foundation, urged Muslims to revive the waqf system as a sustainable approach to charity and development. He explained that waqf has historically served as a major instrument for financing education, healthcare, social welfare, and public infrastructure in Muslim societies.
“One-third of the lands in the former Ottoman Empire were waqf lands, funding education, health care, water, and welfare,” he said. Lamido cited examples of historical endowments dedicated to causes such as marrying off poor women, feeding animals, maintaining city cleanliness, and supporting students. He said such endowments reflected Islam’s emphasis on social justice and community development.
He noted that while waqf assets globally are now worth nearly $1 trillion, Nigeria was still lagging behind in institutionalizing the practice. He called for renewed efforts to build waqf literacy, governance structures, and institutional frameworks for sustainable benevolence.
The Chairman of the event, Professor Salisu Shehu, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Education Research and Development Council, emphasized in his remarks that reviving waqf in Nigeria would create lasting solutions to poverty, education, and community development.
