- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to promotion of religious freedom and tolerance in the country.
Tinubu made this known in reaction to the latest inclusion of Nigeria in the list of countries of particular concerns by the United States’ President, Donald Trump.
NPO Reported that Trump had included Nigeria in the list as he said the degree of killings of Christians in Nigeria has reached an alarming peak, adding that the United States cannot continue to watch without taking actions.
While the Federal Government had since condemned the inclusion, Tinubu also lent his voice personally in a statement issued on Saturday.
The President held that his administration had since inception maintained open and active engagement with Christians and Muslim leaders.
He noted that the US characterisation of Nigeria as being religious intolerant is a far from the country’s reality.
Tinubu reaffirmed that religious freedom and tolerance will continue to be a core tenet of Nigeria’s identity.
The statement read; “Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.
“Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.
“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.”