The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has carpeted the United States of America, USA, for unilaterally delisting Nigeria from a list of countries violating religious freedom.
Reacting to the development, HURIWA, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, said the US government under Joe Biden has demonstrated “a non-challant tendency concerning the massive religion-motivated genocides that are currently going on under the active watch and conspiratorial connivance of the Federal Government of President Buhari who concentrated the powers of internal security to only members of Hausa/Fulani Moslems even when Nigeria is a plural democracy with the multiplicity of Ethnicities and Religious/Belief systems.”
The Rights group asked the President of the USA and the United States Congress to change the decision immediately.
Meanwhile, Federal Government has hailed the United States for removing Nigeria from its list of countries with religious freedom concerns.
Reacting, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, in a statement on Thursday, said the decision was fair and just.
He also reiterated his earlier stance that Nigeria does not engage in religious freedom violation or have a policy of religious persecution.
He said Nigeria jealously protects religious freedom as enshrined in the country’s constitution and takes seriously any infringements in that regard.
The Minister also commended religious leaders in the country who have been working to ensure religious harmony.
It would be recalled that the United States on Wednesday removed Nigeria from its list of religious violators.
It also blacklisted Russia, China, and eight others as countries of particular concern for having engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.
