The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Yusuf Tuggar, has said Nigeria is committed to religious freedom and the rule of law to avoid becoming another Sudan, which is plagued by a factional war.
He said the Bola Tinubu-led government is pushing back against US President Donald Trump’s claim about the alleged killing of Christians in the country.
He made the disclosure when asked about the US president’s comments at a news conference Tuesday with his German counterpart in Berlin, Mr Johann Wadephul.
Mr Tuggar cited a document which he claims articulated what Nigeria’s constitution stipulates about religious freedom.
“This is what guides us and this is what shows it’s impossible for there to be a religious persecution that can be supported in any way, shape or form by the government of Nigeria at any level,” he said.
Last Saturday, President Trump claimed that Christians are being systematically killed in Nigeria “in very large numbers” and pledged the US would intervene to protect them.
In addition, he made Nigeria a country of particular concern and threatened to stop all aids and assistance, if nothing was done about the claims.
On Sunday, President Bola Tinubu has since kicked against, noting that his government was committed to working with the US and international community to protect all faiths.
He added that “the characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.”
Mr Tuggar said that Nigeria is “trying to make the world understand is that we should not create another Sudan.”
The conflict in Sudan stems from a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has created a devastating humanitarian crisis marked by mass displacement, widespread violence, and famine risks.
He referred to it as “agitation for the partitioning of Sudan based on religion, based on tribal sentiments” that had plunged the country into crisis.
“And who gets left behind to work toward resolving such problems? It’s us,” he added. “It’s African countries, it’s countries like Nigeria that is a member of the African Union peace and security council.”