Festus Keyamo writes Trump, denies claims of Christian Persecution in Nigeria

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has written an open letter to former U.S. President Donald Trump, dismissing claims of targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.

In a post shared on X, Keyamo introduced himself as a lawyer with over three decades of experience in human rights activism, recalling that he was honoured in 2017 in Washington with the Global Human Rights Award by the United States Global Leadership Council.

Addressing Trump directly, Keyamo said his Christian background and ethical convictions would never allow him to serve in a government that supports or condones the persecution of Christians.

“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,” he wrote.

He explained that Nigeria’s security challenges stem from terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, herdsmen, and cattle rustlers, stressing that these acts of violence are not religiously motivated. According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made significant progress in addressing these long-standing issues.

Keyamo further highlighted that most of Nigeria’s current security chiefs are Christians, making it “unthinkable” to suggest that the government is complicit in attacks on Christians.

Defending President Tinubu, Keyamo described him as a “moderate Muslim” whose wife is a pastor of one of Nigeria’s largest Pentecostal churches and whose children are practising Christians.

He noted that Tinubu frequently invited Christian clerics for prayers during his time as Lagos State Governor, proving his tolerance and commitment to religious coexistence.

“Nigeria is a secular state and our Constitution explicitly provides for freedom of religion and prohibits the adoption of a state religion,” Keyamo stated, adding that the government does not favour any religious group over another.

He urged Trump to engage with a wider range of information sources before forming opinions about Nigeria, noting that even opposition leaders in the country agree there are no targeted killings of Christians.

“The Nigerian people ask for understanding, support, and cooperation from your government to confront this decades-old menace of terrorism. We ask for collaboration, frank dialogue, and a balanced view of the happenings in Nigeria,” Keyamo appealed.

He concluded his message with blessings for both nations, writing, “God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and God bless the United States of America.”

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