The Nigerian Government has faulted the position of the United States as it added Nigeria to a religious freedom blacklist, which has other countries with severe religious violations.
The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, had on Monday, designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom.
Pompeo wrote on Twitter:
These annual designations show that when religious freedom is attacked, we will act.
In a statement, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, denied the allegations.
According to Mohammed, the allegation by the United States, of engaging in systematic and egregious religious freedom violations was faulty.
The Minister’s statement was contained in a statement issued by the Special Assistant To The President (Media) Office of the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi, in Abuja on Tuesday.
Mohammed described the allegation as “a case of honest disagreement between the two nations on the causes of violence in Nigeria.”
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The Minister added:
Nigeria does not engage in religious freedom violation, neither does it have a policy of religious persecution. Victims of insecurity and terrorism in the country are adherents of Christianity, Islam and other religions.
Nigeria jealously protects religious freedom as enshrined in the country’s constitution and takes seriously any infringements in this regard.
The blacklist also has Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China, Iran, Eritrea, and Myanmar.
Others are North Korea, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.