*Says the world is fed wrong narrative that Christians are targeted, persecuted in Nigeria
*American and British lawmakers have distorted views on religion in Nigeria – Ex-NHIS boss
*Says for many years Christian lobby groups in Nigeria, their foreign partners misrepresented Nigerian situation
*Explains Nigeria’s problem not religion but corruption, bad governance of leaders regardless of faith
*’Nigeria’s problems can only be solved by Nigerians in Nigeria not in London, Washington DC or anywhere else’
*’Nigerian Muslims need to tell their stories themselves truthfully by their words and deeds home and abroad’
*’Nigeria is a beautiful country with lots of promise and enough room for all’
By KEMI KASUMU
“As an American Citizen, I was very embarrassed that these Senators could append their signatures to this document knowing very well the resources available to them to seek the truth. With all due respect, this poorly researched letter is in my opinion written just to pander to their narrow constituency without regard for the truth.”
In an article he titled, “Message from Washington DC” hailed by some patriotic Nigerians as ‘correction of intentional diabolic negative narrative’ misrepresenting the true situation on ground in Nigeria by some locals working in cahoots with international collaborators, a Nigeria-born Professor of Haematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Usman Yusuf, has voiced out his concerns about wrongful and dangerous allegations by US Senators against Nigerian Government and Muslim Ummah of the country in their letter of June 29, 2022.
Former Chairman, Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and American citizen, Professor Yusuf, who represented the Sultan of Sokoto and Leader of Nigeria Muslim Ummah, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, at the 2nd Annual International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington DC, United States of America on June 28-30, 2022, said he was shocked to hear top American lawmakers and retired government officials repeatedly mentioning Nigeria in the same league as China, Pakistan and Afghanistan as one of the top violators of religious freedom that persecute Christians and the Church.
Yusuf’s article was coming a day before a “for the record” report by The DEFENDER wondered how some American Senators would rely on misrepresentations they received from Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), terrorist IPOB and some other ethnic groups including Afenifere and individuals known to be at the forefront of anti-Islam/North crusades and struggle, to conclude that a country, where Muslims have largely been at the receiving end of killings by terrorists and deprivations from accessing education, paid jobs and other quality things of life where Christian loyalists of CAN are in charge, can rightfully be said to be at war with Christians.
The DEFENDER reports from statement of the professor that the Washington Summit, which is reported to be the largest in the world, had only Sultan of Sokoto as the only Muslim from Nigeria invited to the meeting whereas, many Christians namely CAN President Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, Methodist Bishop and co-chair of Inter-faith Dialogue Forum, John Joseph Hayab, Kaduna State Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria, Ms. Anne Marie Briggs and Ms. Sarafina N’kenta.
Additionally, other Nigerian organisations and private individuals from Nigeria and the United States attended.
In Nigeria, what the CAN and its co-travellers call religious intolerance and lack of freedom of religious practice for Christians has been investigated to mean the difficulty they have in securing Muslims’ approval for them and their children to be imposed Christianity doctrines in schools, hospitals, workplaces and even in their neighbourhood.
A judgement of Court of Appeal, on a case initiated by CAN with intention to stop Muslim students from enjoying their freedom of religious practice in public schools in North Central Nigeria, was given by our source as a good example of what the true state of religious practice is in the country, although the Christian body that has been making issues about freedom of religion practice has, through its pentecostal wing, impressed that Christianity is not religion but that Islam being the religion is bondage.
The appeal court faulted CAN for being one persecuting the Muslims and still being the one raising alarm over purported persecution the court could not find anywhere.
Further investigations also revealed that, against the letters and statements the American lawmakers and retired government officials these Christian leaders collaborate with in painting Nigeria bad, the CAN members, especially pentecostals, are in truth the ones who do not give religious freedom to Muslims wherever in state departments or institutions they head or control, we gathered.
This, it was said, is their practice that only condition for them to live in peace with Muslims and allow them access to general benefits of state they are in charge of, is to convert to Christianity whereas even they (Christians) have been beneficiaries of Muslim-led public or private good without bring given conditions to convert to Islam.
According to reliable sources, they also have collaboration with the Christian dominated media to look away from their misdeeds as perpetrated against Muslims while also underreporting the plights of Muslims, especially as connected to breach of their fundamental human rights, where Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has been very active.
To Professor Usman Yusuf, the American lawmakers and retired government officials, who made submissions negative about Nigeria as further illustrated in the five US sebators’ letter to the US Secretary of State, were saddening because of deliberate overlooking of facts and upholding of falsehoods against the Africa’s most populous country, its government and Muslim members.
“As an American Citizen, I was very embarrassed that these Senators could append their signatures to this document knowing very well the resources available to them to seek the truth. With all due respect, this poorly researched letter is in my opinion written just to pander to their narrow constituency without regard for the truth,” he wondered.
This year’s main focus of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) was the freedom of religion worldwide and the struggle that many people face regarding practicing their faiths.
There was open exchange of ideas about religion, faith and the barriers that arise between people of faith due to ignorance and misunderstanding.
According to Yusuf, “The Senators made the following assertions in their letter:
“{1}. Mere expression of one’s Christian faith has become tantamount to a death sentence in many parts of Nigeria”
“{2}. More than 4,650 cases of Nigerian Christians were killed for their faiths in 2021
“{3}. Nigeria has for the second consecutive year been the deadliest country on earth for Christians
“{4}. Nigerian government is failing to protect the religious freedom and safety of its Christian citizens
“{5}. Nigerian government directly participated in the persecution of Christians through blasphemy laws
“COMMENT: As an American Citizen, I was very embarrassed that these Senators could append their signatures to this document knowing very well the resources available to them to seek the truth. With all due respect, this poorly researched letter is in my opinion written just to pander to their narrow constituency without regard for the truth.”
Submissions by some Nigerians and organisations
He continued, “It was equally shocking to hear the submission of some Nigerians summarized below:
“{1} Terrorist Fulanis and Kanuris are systematically targeting and killing Nigerian Christians
“{2}. Armed Muslim Militia are deliberately targeting Christians and Churches with full complicity of the government
“{3}. Blasphemy law that enabled the killing of Deborah Yakubu Samuel in Sokoto
“{4}. Chibok Girls who are now 8 years in Boko Haram captivity
“{5}. Lear Sharibu now 4 years in Boko Haram captivity for refusing to convert to Islam from Christianity
“{6}. The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo state made an emotional presentation asking for the world’s help after asserting that on Sunday June 5, 2022, “armed Fulani terrorists” massacred at least 40 worshippers in his diocese at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo.
“{7}. A Christian Lawyer told the summit that the Kaduna State Government enacted a law specifically requiring only Christian Clerics to be licensed before they could preach.
“{8}. A claim that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set up an estimate of over 20 polling stations in Niger Republic to enable Muslims in that country to vote for the Nigerian Fulani Muslim candidate
“{9}. The threat of secession if Nigeria is not renegotiated.”
US presentations silent on Muslims as largest victims
He listed cases affecting Muslims which the Nigerian individuals and organisations at the conference either deliberately avoided or silent upon.
“{1}. More Muslims have been killed, maimed raped or displaced by Bandits and Boko Haram than Christians
“{2}. More Muslim Clerics have been killed by these terrorist groups than Christian Clerics
“{3}. More Muslim traditional rulers have been killed or kidnapped than Christians
“{4}. More Mosques Have been burnt or destroyed by terrorists than Churches in Nigeria
“{5}. More Muslims including children have been abducted by these terrorists than Christians
“{6}. More Muslim majority states are under seige by these terrorists than Christians
“{7}. More Nigerian Muslims have been made poorer by insecurity than Christians
“{8}. Harirah Jubril the Muslim Fulani woman from Adamawa state who was in her last trimester of pregnancy and her 4 little children that were brutally gunned down by the Igbo separatist armed terrorists group Eastern Security Network (ESN) while waiting for a bus in Isulo Orumba North LGA, Anambra State
“{9}. A Governor from the South South that declared his state a Christian state and demolished mosques
“{10}. The lawful Fulani herders that were beheaded, their cattle killed, their huts burnt and were chased out of the south east just because they were Muslims
“{11}. The unconstitutional law enacted by the 17 southern states banning Muslim Fulani herders just to ethnically cleanse them from lands they have inhabited for generations
“{12}. The tractor trailer drivers and Suya seller burnt and killed in the south east
“{13}. The ban on Muslim girls from wearing the hijab to schools.”
Take home from Washington DC
“{1}. The world is fed the wrong narrative that Christians are targeted and persecuted in Nigeria
“{2}. American and British lawmakers have distorted views on religion in Nigeria
“{3}. Strong religious lobby groups in Nigeria with the help of their foreign partners have over the years fed this negative narrative about Nigeria into the people and leadership of the western world
“{4}. Nigeria’s problem is not religion but corruption and bad governance of our leaders regardless of faith
“{5}. Nigeria’s problems can only be solved by Nigerians in Nigeria not in London, Washington DC or anywhere else
“{6}. Nigerian Muslims need to tell our stories ourselves truthfully by our words and deeds both at home and abroad
“{7}. The Nigerian government and its embassies abroad need to engage our foreign friends and partners to correct this negative narrative.
“{8}. Religious leaders of all faiths have a pivotal role to play in continuing to be messengers of hope and reconciliation.
“{9}. Nigeria is a beautiful country with lots of promise and enough room for all.
“May God Almighty Heal Our Wounds and Bring Peace to Our Land, Amin,” he concluded.
