The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Wednesday responded publicly to remarks by former United States President Donald Trump concerning alleged “mass killings” of Christians in Nigeria.
Keyamo asserted that the claims of targeted persecution “is simply not true.”
In an open letter to Trump, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria and renowned human rights lawyer referenced his Christian background and his 2017 Global Human Rights Award from Washington. He explained that his moral convictions would never permit him to serve in a government that tolerates religious persecution.
Appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Keyamo rejected suggestions that Christians are being singled out in Nigeria because of their faith. He declared, “Because of my strong Christian background and ethical pedigree, it would have been most unconscionable for me to associate with – let alone accept to serve or continue to serve – a government if truly there is any scintilla of truth in the assertion that Christians are SPECIFICALLY targeted in Nigeria for persecution, killings or harassment ON ACCOUNT OF THEIR FAITH. It is simply not true.”
While acknowledging the country’s security issues, Keyamo attributed the violence to criminal and terrorist groups rather than religious persecution. “Just like the U.S and many countries in the world, we have faced our own fair share of societal violence; ours has been perpetrated by deadly groups known as Boko Haram (now seriously decimated), herdsmen, and cattle rustlers. These decades-old problems were inherited by our President who has made great progress in the fight against these insurgents,” he wrote.
The minister also defended President Tinubu’s record and non-sectarian style of governance, highlighting the interfaith composition of his administration. “In fact, most of the security Chiefs appointed by him are Christians, so it would be unthinkable to imagine them being complicit in the killing of fellow Christians in Nigeria,” he noted.
He further underscored the President’s moderate religious stance, adding: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, though a Muslim, is a known ‘moderate’, whose wife is a Pastor of one of the biggest Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria and most of his children are practising Christians. When he was Governor of Lagos State, he regularly invited Christian Pastors for prayers and worship sessions at the Government House. He will be the last person to either adopt the killing of Christians as a State Policy, or condone such acts or be complicit in them.”
Citing constitutional guarantees, Keyamo emphasized that Nigeria remains a secular nation committed to religious freedom. “Nigeria is a secular State and our Constitution explicitly provides for freedom of religion and prohibits the adoption of a State religion, reflecting its status as a multi-faith nation. This legal framework underpins the country’s diverse religious landscape, which includes significant populations of Muslims, Christians, and adherents of traditional African religions, coexisting within a nation’s space.”
He stressed that insecurity in Nigeria affects all citizens, regardless of faith. “In all honesty, the insecurity in some parts of the country over the years has impacted adherents of all religions and this government has not sought to protect one set of adherents and ignore the others,” he said.
According to the Minister, even Nigeria’s political opposition agrees on this issue. “Ordinarily, opposition politicians will oppose the government of the day. But on this matter, President Trump, you would have observed that leaders of the opposition parties in Nigeria are united on one point: there is no TARGETED killing of Christians in Nigeria.”
Concluding his letter, Keyamo appealed to the U.S. for understanding and cooperation in combating terrorism. “President Trump, the Nigerian people ask for deep and sincere understanding from your government at this point; the Nigerian people ask for support and cooperation from your government at this point to confront this decades-old menace of terrorism; we ask for collaboration; we ask for frank and open dialogue at this time with your government; we ask that you broaden your sources of information at this time so as to get a balanced view of the happenings in Nigeria.”
