President Trump’s Action to Protect Nigeria’s Christians
President Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern reflects a vital and necessary step to safeguard religious freedom. This designation originally took place in 2020 during the author’s tenure at the State Department, sending a strong message to Nigeria to address religious persecution. Unfortunately, it was revoked under the Biden Administration.
With this restoration, the United States can apply considerable diplomatic and economic pressure on Nigeria to protect its Christian citizens from ongoing persecution.
Ongoing Persecution of Nigerian Christians
For over thirty years, militant Islamic groups in Sub-Saharan Africa—including Islamic State West Africa Province, Fulani Herdsmen, and Boko Haram—have escalated their terror against Christians. The northern region, where 12 Muslim-majority states adopted sharia law in 1999, faces the worst violence, which dramatically worsened with Boko Haram’s rise in 2009.
Since then, more than 50,000 Christians have been killed, and millions have become refugees simply because of their Christian beliefs.
"The President has restored the designation that we first made in 2020 during my tenure at the State Department – a measure that sent a clear message to the Nigerian government to address the problem, but which was shamefully revoked by the Biden Administration."
People concerned about this crisis are encouraged to join petitions aiming to stop the genocide of Christians in Nigeria.
Author’s Summary
This decisive move by President Trump renews crucial pressure on Nigeria to halt the brutal persecution of its Christian population, spotlighting an often-overlooked humanitarian crisis.