Over the weekend, President Bola Tinubu  said that his wife being a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God “downplays religious controversy,” including alleged Christian genocide, in Nigeria.

“We are also doing a lot to guarantee freedom of worship. As you may be aware, my wife is a pastor at an evangelical church. This downplays the religious connotation that the religious controversy in our country might have taken,” stated Mr Tinubu while receiving Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations of the Holy See, at the president’s residence in Abuja on Saturday.

“My administration will continue to work on religious harmony among all faiths. Our bishops and religious leaders have been doing a great deal. Please tell them to continue the good work they are doing. Let them continue to preach peace and tolerance. We cannot have an excess of that,” Mr Tinubu said. “We are also doing a lot to guarantee freedom of worship. As you may be aware, my wife is a pastor at an evangelical church. This downplays the religious connotation that the religious controversy in our country might have taken.”

Mr Tinubu lauded Pope Leo XIV, noting his efforts worldwide to promote peace.

“We need his spiritual engagement, as millions around the world look up to him. I look forward to receiving him in Nigeria,” the Nigerian leader stated. “I understand the roles that the Catholic Church has been playing in expanding the frontiers of education, health, and humanitarianism in Nigeria. It means a lot to us in Nigeria, and the country is benefiting from it.”

Last October, the U.S. designated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern amid growing global demand for immediate action against killings of Christians in the West African nation.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed,” Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday. “Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’—But that is the least of it.”

Mr Trump’s decision came weeks after persistent pressure from notable U.S. politicians, including Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling on the Trump administration to designate Nigeria as a CPC nation.