As debates and online narratives alleging a \u201cChristian genocide\u201d in Nigeria continue to polarise public discourse, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has warned that the erosion of inter-faith trust poses one of the most serious threats to Nigeria\u2019s national cohesion.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at the second triannual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), Akume said the country is navigating \u201cone of its most delicate periods,\u201d marked by inflammatory political rhetoric, security pressures, and a growing deficit of trust between Christian and Muslim communities.<\/p>\n
Details of Akume’s comments were contained in a statement issued by Yomi Odunuga, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity .<\/p>\n
For years, clashes involving farmers and herders, banditry, and insurgency have generated competing narratives\u2014especially online\u2014about the religious dimensions of violence. Some international advocacy groups and social-media commentators describe the situation as a systematic \u201cChristian persecution\u201d or \u201cgenocide,\u201d while other researchers and security analysts argue that the conflicts are driven more by criminality, economic pressures, and local grievances than by coordinated religious targeting.<\/p>\n
These competing stories\u2014often amplified by viral videos, unverifiable claims, or selective reporting\u2014have hardened public opinion along faith lines. Akume acknowledged this context, cautioning that such narratives, if left unaddressed, could \u201cdeepen suspicion, escalate fear, and obscure the shared suffering of all Nigerians.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cViolence in Nigeria is not monolithic\u201d \u2014 SGF<\/p>\n
Addressing the theme \u201cPromoting peace through collaboration: the role of inter-religious councils and government in Nigeria,\u201d Akume stressed that both Christian and Muslim communities have suffered devastating losses from insurgency, banditry, and communal attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe point is not to engage in a scorecard of pain,\u201d he said. \u201cViolence in Nigeria is not monolithic. Both major faith groups bleed when any Nigerian is killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He cited recent attacks from Yelwata in Benue State to Eruku in Kwara, as well as incidents across Kebbi, Niger, and Zamfara, noting that they have heightened national anxiety even as government intensifies rescue operations and arrests.<\/p>\n
Concerns Over International Perceptions
\nAkume linked the urgency of restoring inter-faith trust to Nigeria\u2019s previous designation by the United States as a \u201cCountry of Particular Concern,” saying it demonstrated the importance of strengthening domestic engagement to counter external misperceptions of Nigeria\u2019s religious landscape.<\/p>\n
While acknowledging diplomatic progress, he said that repairing global perceptions will require deeper collaboration between government and religious leaders in the months and years ahead.<\/p>\n
The SGF praised NIREC\u2019s 26-year partnership with the Federal Government, describing inter-religious councils as \u201cvital bridges\u201d capable of mediating conflict, dispelling misinformation, and reinforcing national unity.<\/p>\n
He outlined priority areas for deeper cooperation, including:
\n\u25aa\ufe0eInclusive policymaking
\n\u25aa\ufe0eEarly-warning systems for conflict
\n\u25aa\ufe0eJoint peacebuilding initiatives
\n\u25aa\ufe0ePromotion of justice and rule of law
\n\u25aa\ufe0eYouth education to resist hate propaganda and extremist narratives<\/p>\n
Akume emphasised that while international partnerships are welcome, \u201cNigerians must work out Nigerian solutions,\u201d adding that the government remains committed to protecting all citizens regardless of faith.<\/p>\n
He also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has established a new US\u2013Nigeria Joint Working Group on Security, in which NIREC is expected to play a significant role as part of wider non-kinetic peace efforts.<\/p>\n
Urging NIREC members to use their closed-door session for honest reflection and concrete planning, Akume appealed for unity over division.<\/p>\n
\u201cNigeria will be stronger, better, and enjoy lasting peace if we collectively shame the peddlers of hatred and disunity,\u201d he said.
\nThe SGF insisted that rebuilding inter-faith trust is essential not only to preventing conflict but also to advancing national development and social stability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As debates and online narratives alleging a \u201cChristian genocide\u201d in Nigeria continue to polarise public discourse, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has warned that the erosion of inter-faith trust poses one of the most serious threats to Nigeria\u2019s national cohesion. Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at the second […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":96553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[4539,3601,2284,7661,7660],"class_list":["post-96549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-akume","tag-christian","tag-genocide","tag-inter-faith","tag-nirec"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/96553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}