The House of Representatives has condemned a move by the United States Senate to classify Nigeria as a violator of religious freedom, describing the proposal as misleading and unfair.
Lawmakers, during Wednesday’s plenary, unanimously adopted a motion sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, alongside several members, urging the Federal Government to take urgent diplomatic steps to counter what they called a “false narrative” about Nigeria’s religious and security landscape.
The motion, titled “Urgent Need for a Coordinated Diplomatic and Domestic Response to the Proposed Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 (U.S. Senate Bill S.2747)”, came after news broke that the U.S. Senate had introduced a bill seeking to label Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC).
The proposed legislation, introduced on September 9, 2025, also recommends sanctions on certain Nigerian officials under the Global Magnitsky Act—Executive Order 13818—over alleged violations of religious freedom.
But the Nigerian lawmakers strongly rejected the claim, describing it as a “distorted and incomplete portrayal” of the country’s reality. They argued that the insecurity challenges facing Nigeria stem from insurgency, banditry, separatist tensions, and communal clashes—not from religious persecution.
Kalu reminded the House that Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, and forbids the adoption of any state religion. He stressed that successive administrations have protected citizens of all faiths and prosecuted those behind violence, irrespective of their creed.
“External actions based on misinformed assumptions not only undermine our sovereignty but risk emboldening violent actors,” Kalu warned.
The House, therefore, called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies to engage the U.S. government diplomatically and ensure Nigeria’s image is not tarnished on the global stage.
