Nigeria’s support for end to Israel-Palestine conflict fueling ‘Christian genocide’ narrative — Presidency

By Kunle Sanni –

The Presidency has dismissed allegations of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing them as fabricated narratives by some Western actors in reaction to Nigeria’s principled support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking during an interview on France24 TV in Paris, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, said the misleading claims began circulating shortly after Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented President Bola Tinubu at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

According to Bwala, some Western actors began promoting the genocide narrative in reaction to Shettima’s speech, which condemned attacks on civilians and called for a peaceful resolution that recognizes both Israeli and Palestinian states.

“In his address, the Vice-President clearly stated that a two-state solution remains the most dignified path to lasting peace for the people of Palestine,” Bwala explained. “Shortly after that, some Western voices began circulating this false narrative of Christian genocide in Nigeria.”

Recent weeks have seen an increase in Western political rhetoric accusing the Nigerian government of targeting Christians. U.S. lawmakers, including Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Riley Moore, have called for sanctions and diplomatic action against Nigeria, citing alleged persecution of Christians.

Bwala, however, dismissed these assertions as baseless and “fueled by misinformation,” noting that they were largely sourced from an Intersociety report that he described as “riddled with contradictions.”

“This is a cooked-up narrative by the West because they see Nigeria making significant progress, especially in stabilizing the economy and improving security,” Bwala said. “There is no systematic genocide in Nigeria. What we have is a challenge of insecurity that affects people across all faiths.”

He stressed that the Tinubu administration has made measurable gains in combating insecurity nationwide and accused some groups of attempting to exploit religious divisions for political purposes.

“Those who seek to label victims of insecurity based on religion are deliberately trying to ignite a religious conflict,” he warned. “We strongly reject that narrative.”