Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of betraying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu despite what it described as the President’s generous consideration of Christians in key federal appointments.
The accusation follows former United States President Donald Trump’s decision to place Nigeria back on the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged genocide against Christians.
In a statement signed Saturday by its Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC faulted what it described as the role of some Christian leaders in influencing the US decision through petitions alleging targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.
“Despite the vehement denial of Christian genocide by the Nigerian government, US President Donald Trump yesterday redesignated Nigeria as a country of particular concern,” Akintola said.
According to the Islamic rights group, the move was unjustified and misrepresented the realities on the ground.
“This redesignation is blurred, misplaced and distorted. It is a complete misrepresentation of the true picture on ground in Nigeria,” the statement read.
MURIC accused unnamed Christian leaders of damaging Nigeria’s image abroad by feeding the US authorities with misleading information and alleged that CAN endorsed those claims instead of refuting them.
“But instead of dissipating energy on debating the rationality or otherwise of the redesignation, we will rather turn our attention to the fifth columnists in our midst.
“It will be recalled that certain Christian leaders had written frivolous petitions to the US Congress, claiming that Christians were the only ones being killed by terrorists in Nigeria. Instead of debunking this false and misleading narrative, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) simply amplified it,” Akintola added.
Expressing disappointment over CAN’s stance, MURIC said the Christian body should have acted more responsibly given its national influence.
“We are nonplussed by the actions of these Christian leaders, most especially that of CAN, which is expected to know better,” the statement noted.
The group further argued that President Tinubu had shown goodwill to Christians through strategic appointments and privileges, describing CAN’s posture as an act of ingratitude.
“CAN’s action is a stab in the back in view of President Tinubu’s preference of Christians in appointments, favours and privileges over and above his Muslim brethren,” MURIC claimed.
“The president himself confirmed that 62 per cent of all appointments went to Christians. The First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, was even more generous to them than Father Christmas. In spite of all that was done for Nigerian Christians by this administration, they still deemed it fit to take Nigeria to the enabler of Gaza genocide,” the group said.
Calling the act “the mother of all betrayals,” MURIC condemned those behind the petitions and said President Tinubu did not deserve such treatment.
“President Tinubu does not deserve this. It is the Mother of all Betrayals, and we denounce those behind the report in the strongest terms,” the group declared.
MURIC, however, acknowledged that while the US may have its own foreign policy motives, certain Nigerians contributed to the decision by spreading misleading narratives to Washington.