November 10, (THEWILL) — Since the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, designated Nigeria ‘Country of Particular Concern’ and went on to threaten military action, if the Federal Government fails to stop the killing of Christians by Islamist terrorist groups operating within the country, the atmosphere has been charged with a mixture of fear, apprehension and confusion.
Nigerians have reacted to the development with mixed feelings. Clearly elated by the possibility of witnessing the end of a decade-long insecurity, even though through assistance from a concerned foreign power, that has ravaged the country since 2009, some people did not hesitate to express their joy. Others, driven by an acute sense of nationalism, have queried Trump’s moral right to contemplate an unauthorised military action within the territory of a sovereign country. The latter already group view the American President’s pronouncements as insulting to Nigeria’s sovereignty.
At the moment, there is an ongoing debate over Trump’s claim that what transpired in Nigeria has been a typical case of Christian genocide. While some people see it as not truly reflecting the actual situation, others argue that it is a fact.
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, on Sunday, dismissed the allegation of Christian genocide, describing it as false, dangerous and politically motivated.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the NSCIA’s Secretary-General, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, accused the Western media and political figures of trumpeting the allegation of Christian genocide as part of an alleged coordinated campaign to destabilise Nigeria.
But the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Wale Oke, insisted that there is Christian genocide in Nigeria. “There is no other name to call it,” he said.
Prof Oloyede maintained that the violence in parts of the country was driven by criminality, poverty and climate-induced migration, not religious persecution.
Notwithstanding the reactions, the fact is that there is insecurity in Nigeria, fuelled by the murderous and highly destructive activities of insurgents and bandits whose primary objective has been recognised as aimed at grabbing vast swathes of land, wiping out the original owners and islamising the country.
We believe that such a terrible agenda, by non-state actors for that matter, should never be allowed to take root by any means possible, even if it requires inviting a foreign power to partner the Federal Government in the quest to drive terrorists and their sponsors out of the country.
