Emmanuel Kure, Chairman of the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA), says the designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” by United States President, Donald Trump, is a welcome development. In a statement on Tuesday in Kaduna, Kure, a former National Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), said the move has finally drew global attention to the plight of Christians in Northern Nigeria.
He said, “For far too long, Christians in the North have been abandoned by the very nation that should protect them”.
He accused successive governments, northern Muslim leaders, and some Christian leaders and governors of paying lip service to peace, human rights, and national unity.
Kure said the “systematic rewriting of the history of northern minorities” was ongoing, alleging that their lands had been seized, quotas stolen, traditional institutions debased, and political representation denied.
“At last, someone, somewhere, has taken notice of the plight of Christians in Northern Nigeria, a plight our own government has consistently failed to acknowledge, let alone address,” he stated.
The clergyman further alleged that in several northern cities and institutions such as Bayero University, Kano, University, Kano, and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, churches were not allowed to be built, while mosques flourished freely.
According to him, “This is not so in the South, which raises the question whether we have a separate government from the South.
“What tradition or law permits one section to enslave the other in this modern time?”
Kure further alleged that the sponsorship and protection of jihadists, forced marriages of Christian women, and denial of equal opportunities formed part of a sustained pattern of persecution.
“The federal government must no longer deny these realities. It must set up a credible, independent inquiry led by courageous and impartial Nigerians to investigate these allegations”, he said.
Kure cited the killings in Benue and Plateau states as evidence of “a scorched-earth campaign” against Christian communities, noting that the persistent killing of pastors and destruction of churches in Southern Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Taraba and neglect of major roads showed “knowledge of the truth but no political will to confront it.”
Kure urged the Church to speak up, saying, “The Church is not speaking enough, and the government is not properly advised despite the many Christians in government.”
He, however, commended the Kaduna state governor, Senator Uba Sani for taking early steps towards reform and peaceful coexistence in the state and expressed the hope that efforts will “grow into a model of fairness and justice for the entire North.”
Kure said the country must “face itself in the mirror,” adding that “sometimes it takes external voices to provoke self-examination.”
“In spite of his many contradictions, Trump has become, perhaps, a hand of divine correction, compelling nations to look inward. “Britain, too, must share in this reflection, for it bears part of the foundational errors that have kept Nigeria divided”, he said.
He maintained that whether or not the move is seen as external interference, “something must challenge the recklessness of African leaders who continually mortgage the future of their people.”
Kure said, “Africa still has a chance to rise, that rebirth must begin with Nigeria. Our leaders must act. “Whether our plundering politicians are ready or not, for time is running out. The moment of reckoning is now.”
