Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that some people begged him not to speak on the United States President Donald Trump’s genocide claims and threats against Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Monday evening, Wike said on his way to the Television station, some people had sent him messages and urged him to avoid commenting on the issue, but he felt compelled to respond because the allegations were not only false but also personally offensive to him as a Christian and a member of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“Before I came in here, so many people had sent me text messages saying, ‘Oh please don’t speak about Trump, please this and that,’ and I just laughed,” Wike said.
He described the genocide allegations as “politics taken too far,” insisting that the Nigerian government under President Tinubu has never supported or condoned attacks on Christians.
“I’m a Nigerian, a full-blooded Nigerian. I’m a Christian. My father is a pastor. My father is a Christian. I serve in this government,” the minister stated. “For anybody to allege that this government is supporting genocide or the killing of Christians, and I am still in that government—is an indictment on my person, my family, and my faith.”
Wike’s comments came amid global reactions to Trump’s remarks last week, in which the US President accused the Nigerian government of allowing widespread persecution of Christians and hinted at possible American military intervention.
The FCT Minister stressed that such claims were baseless and politically motivated, urging Nigerians and the international community to dismiss them.
“This is politics taken too far,” he repeated, maintaining that Nigeria remained committed to protecting all citizens, regardless of religion or ethnicity.
