An open hearing to examine President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern will be heard by the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
According to the invite to the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, spotted by Punch, the hearing, scheduled for 11:00 am in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and available via live webcast, will be chaired by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ).
It will feature two panels of witnesses, including senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.
The invite read, “You are respectfully requested to attend an open hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to be held by the Subcommittee on Africa at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.”
According to the invite, panelists will include Senior Bureau Official of the Bureau of African Affairs, Jonathan Pratt, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Jacob McGee.
The second panel will feature the Director of the Centre for Religious Freedom, Nina Shea; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Nigeria; and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic & International Studies.
The congressional hearing is expected to review not only the scope of religious persecution in Nigeria, but also potential policy responses, including targeted sanctions, humanitarian assistance, and collaboration with Nigerian authorities to prevent further violence.
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