The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on United States President Donald Trump to avoid making remarks that might incite a religious strife in Nigeria.
The student organization labeled Trump’s assertion of genocide against Christians in Nigeria as a “complete falsehood.”NANS highlighted that Nigeria, akin to numerous other countries, is grappling with significant internal security issues including terrorism, banditry, and abduction.It cautioned that framing these concerns as specific religious assaults could cultivate unnecessary anxiety and division among the populace.
Recently, President Trump referred to Nigeria as a nation of “particular concern,” alleging an existing genocide against Christians. He additionally disclosed that he had informed the Pentagon and was ready to dispatch the U.S. military for intervention.In response, NANS, represented by its National Vice President for Inter-Campus and Gender Affairs, Akinbodunse Sileola Felicia, rebuked Trump’s remarks on Thursday. She asserted that attributing a religious angle to Nigeria’s security dilemma could exacerbate mistrust and ignite disunity among the citizens. Akinbodunse stressed that Nigerians have cohabited harmoniously irrespective of their religious distinctions and should not permit external forces to fracture their unity.
She also challenged President Trump to demonstrate authentic sympathy for Nigerian Christians by offering free U.S. visas for them, instead of “stoking the fires of religious division.”Appeal for heightened measures against Insecurity the student leader pointed out that both Christians and Muslims have endured terrorism and other violent acts in Nigeria. She posed the question of why President Trump exclusively identified Christians as the sole victims of insecurity.Akinbodunse encouraged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government to amplify efforts against insecurity, particularly in Plateau and Benue States.
She concluded that only a complete eradication of insurgency and cessation of killings nationwide would invalidate Trump’s “false genocide narrative.”