The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has accused some Western politicians of promoting false claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria to undermine the administration’s progress.
Speaking in an interview with France24 in Paris, Bwala said the narrative began to gain traction after Nigeria condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza during last month’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
At the assembly, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who represented Tinubu, condemned the killing of civilians in the Middle East and reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for a two-state solution as the only viable path to peace between Israel and Palestine.
His words: “We do not believe that the sanctity of human life should be trapped in the corridors of endless debate.
“That is why we say, without stuttering and without doubt, that a two-state solution remains the most dignified path to lasting peace for the people of Palestine.”
Bwala said shortly after Shettima’s comments, Western figures began amplifying claims that Christians were being systematically targeted in Nigeria.
“Those narratives began to spread after Nigeria condemned the inhumane treatment in Gaza.
“Within 24 hours, a comedian in the U.S., Bill Maher, started pushing this Christian genocide campaign,” he stated.
He accused U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Riley Moore of relying on “inaccurate and contradictory reports” to justify their claims.
Cruz had recently introduced a bill to protect what he described as “persecuted Christians in Nigeria,” while Moore wrote to the U.S. Secretary of State, urging diplomatic action against the Nigerian government over alleged religious persecution.
Bwala dismissed the allegations as false and politically motivated, insisting that insecurity in Nigeria affects people of all faiths.
He said: “We strongly object to the notion that there is systematic genocide in Nigeria.
“Yes, we acknowledge there is insecurity, but those pushing a religious narrative are only trying to divide Nigerians.”
The presidential aide argued that some Western actors were promoting the genocide claim to discredit Nigeria’s achievements under the Tinubu administration.
“It is a cooked-up narrative by the West because they see that we are making gains with the economy and in the fight against insecurity,” he said.
The federal government has consistently denied claims of targeted killings of Christians, maintaining that its security operations address all forms of terrorism and violence without bias.