From Failed Coup to Christian Genocide Claim

By Bamidele Atoyebi

I find it fascinating that just when Nigeria is regaining economic stability and national confidence, some voices in the United States have suddenly revived the old and baseless narrative of a “Christian genocide” in our country.

The timing is not only suspicious but revealing, it looks like a calculated attempt to undermine Nigeria’s growing strength and independence.

President Donald Trump pushed this claim during his first term as president, and Nigeria was briefly listed as a “Country of Particular Concern.” It was later removed by the Biden administration after careful review showed no evidence of systematic persecution of Christians.

Here we are again, with the same recycled rhetoric, led by the same interests, now at a time when Nigeria is finally charting a path towards all round recovery. Obviously, there is something domineering about us the almighty US can’t handle under his administration.

If not, why the sudden obsession with Nigeria?
Why not Sudan, Afghanistan, or Gaza, places suffering open warfare and humanitarian disasters? Why is the world’s attention conveniently fixed on a country that is healing, reforming, and progressing?

As Spencer Hakimian, founder of Tolou Capital Management in New York, observed in a tweet that has gained global attention: “Isn’t it a little suspicious that all of the countries Trump wants us to go to war with are oil-rich? Iran, Venezuela, now Nigeria.”

I believe, the answer lies not in concern for religious freedom, but in political gamesmanship and the discomfort some powers feel about Nigeria’s self-reliance.

Let us be clear, there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria. The terrorism and insecurity we have endured for years have cut across all ethnic, tribal, and religious lines. People of every faith have been victims. To say Christians are being singled out is false and inflammatory.

How can anyone suggest that killings in Katsina, Zamfara, Kano, or Borno states where Christians make up less than 10 per cent of the population, amount to religious persecution? These are tragic incidents rooted in terrorism, banditry, and criminality, not in faith.

Data from independent monitors confirm that both Muslims and Christians have suffered losses, disproving the genocide narrative completely.

What we are witnessing is not concern but control, an attempt by some foreign actors to dictate Nigeria’s internal and diplomatic direction. When they cannot influence us through policy, they resort to propaganda. When that fails, they weaponise religion.

I must also point out the disturbing trend of unfriendly U.S. actions toward Nigeria. From reducing our five-year visiting visa to just three months, to the alleged revocation of Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka’s visa, to a failed coup attempt on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration conspiracies and religious persecution, it is clear that something deeper is at play.

If President Trump or any of his allies have grievances with our government, they should be bold enough to state them publicly instead of hiding behind false narratives.

To be blunt, we do not invite foreign invaders into our land. Like the late MKO Abiola of blessed memory declared, “the time when you shave people’s heads in their absence is over.” We rely on our own intelligence capacity and our military to defeat any insurgency; we are capable of doing so.

Nigeria is an autonomous nation. We are not a colony to be managed or a weak state to be bullied. The BAT Ideological Group, which I lead, therefore calls on President Trump and all external actors to stay away from Nigeria’s internal affairs.

Our country is doing well. The economy is improving, insecurity has grossly reduced, and confidence is returning. The foreign-exchange market has stabilised, airline bottlenecks are being resolved, and citizens at the grassroots now have greater access to education through the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reform schemes.

Lecturers are working in a more supportive environment, the Health Fellows Programme is strengthening our medical workforce, and the poor are beginning to feel the impact of inclusive governance.

These are real, measurable achievements under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Nigerians are hopeful again, and that hope does not depend on any foreign validation.

So when Washington begins to make noise about “Christian genocide,” I cannot help but see it for what it is, a distraction. It is a political move designed to destabilise our progress and paint our nation as divided when, in truth, we are moving forward together.

Nigeria is not perfect, but we are not failing. We are strong, united, and built to last. Those who wish us ill should remember that. We are Nigerians, we are a city built upon the hill that shall never fail! proud, resilient, and determined to shape our own destiny.

Bamidele Atoyebi is the Convenor of BAT Ideological Group, National Coordinator of Accountability and Policy monitoring and a publisher at Unfiltered and Mining Reporting.