Senior Pastor of the Guiding Light Assembly, Wale Adefarasin, has downplayed recent comments by US President Donald Trump alleging religious persecution in Nigeria, describing them as nothing new.
Pastor Adefarasin questioned the United States’ sudden expression of concern for Christians in Nigeria, noting that such claims have been repeatedly used for political purposes.
Speaking in a video which has been making the rounds on social media on Monday, Adefarasin said the killings of Christians in parts of northern Nigeria were not new and should not be exaggerated as genocide.
He said, “For 40 years that I have been a Christian, there have been killings in southern Kaduna, killings on the plateau, there have been riots.
“Sometimes, I think it was in France, an image of Prophet Muhammad was defaced. Who remembers that? And as a result of that, there were killings of Christians in Nigeria.”
According to him, the West’s portrayal of the situation as if Christians in Nigeria are under constant attack is misleading.
“And so, it’s nothing new. It doesn’t amount to genocide. The way the West are talking about it, it’s as if if a Christian steps on the street, his head will be blown off,” he added.
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The pastor went on to question the motives behind the United States’ growing interest in Nigeria’s internal affairs.
“I’m trying to understand this sudden love for Christians. Is it because we now have one of the largest refineries in the world, and no longer have to ship raw materials abroad and bring the finished products?
“Or is it because of the 21st century minerals that we now have in our earth, that are used to generate nuclear power for electric vehicles? Are those the reasons that our friends are threatening to invade our country to defend and protect Nigerian Christians?” he asked.
His comments come amid a wave of reactions from Nigerian leaders, clerics, and civil society groups following Trump’s threat of possible U.S. military action in Nigeria over the alleged killing of Christians.