The Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has urged the international community against designating Nigeria as a “Country of Concern”, saying that while the nation faces a severe crisis of religious freedom and security, such a move would undermine fragile progress achieved by the current government.
Bishop Kukah’s statement came during the launch of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACIN) 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom, a comprehensive document detailing a ‘worrying decline’ in religious liberty globally, affecting over 5.4 billion people.
The Catholic Bishop did not shy away from detailing Nigeria’s profound struggles, describing the country as a “huge killing field” ravaged for over 15 years by jihadist groups, banditry, and a surge in internal displacement.
He acknowledged the “genocide” in many communities and the targeted violence against Christians, which includes the destruction of churches, the kidnapping of clergy, and murders.
Kukah said that the simple truth is that Nigerians were dying for a living, highlighting the confusion in finding the appropriate language to describe the complex crisis where both Christians and Muslims who oppose extremism are victims.
However, he presented a critical distinction between the previous administration and the current one.
He criticised former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, describing it as the worst phase in the history of interfaith relations in Nigeria.
“The difference between President Buhari and the Jihadists was that he was using a pen while the jihadists were using weapons of violence against Christians,” Kukah said.
The Bishop accused the Buhari administration of giving oxygen to jihadists through policies that overtly favoured Islam and northern Nigeria.
Kukah also pointed to the administration of President Bola Tinubu as a “window of opportunity,” citing several confidence-building measures, which including the President, a Muslim, is married to a Pastor.
“The appointment of Christians to key positions such as the Chief of Army Staff, the Director of the State Security Services, the leader of the ruling party, and the Chairman of the electoral commission (INEC).
“The President’s personal visit to victims of violence in Benue state, a gesture of empathy lacking under his predecessor. Christians have not felt alienated. Our situation is far from perfect,” he said.
While the ACIN report itself noted that religious freedom in Nigeria is under grave threat and prospects remain extremely grim, Bishop Kukah made a strategic plea against formal designation as a Country of Concern.
“Re-designating Nigeria will hurt the initiatives we are working on with the current government. It will only increase tensions, sow doubt, open windows of suspicion and fear and simply allow the criminals and perpetrators of violence to exploit the situation,” he said.
Instead, he called for continued vigilance and pressure from international and civil society groups to help Nigeria rid the country of the virus of religious extremism.
The Bishop further challenged the federal government, by demanding that all laws, specifically the Sharia legal codes adopted by 12 northern states, be brought under the purview of the national Constitution.
He urged President Tinubu to go to court and have these adoptions declared unconstitutional to end mob justice and the killings over blasphemy allegations.
“The secular state anticipated by the Constitution must be enforced. Nigeria should be supported and encouraged in this effort and not punished,” he said.
