Nigeria under Buhari remains on religious freedom violators watch list: U.S. Govt
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Thursday said that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari remains on its religious freedom violators watch list.
The USCIRF directly responsible for enlisting countries in the United States Special Watch List, in a statement, said it was displeased with the U.S. Department of States for removing Nigeria from its “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) designation.
“USCIRF is disappointed that the State Department did not adopt our recommendations in designating the countries that are the worst violators of religious freedom,” the statement quoted USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza as saying.
She stressed that the State Department didn’t adopt the commission’s recommendation that rightfully placed Nigeria as one of the worst violators of religious freedom.
“While the State Department took steps forward on some designations, USCIRF is especially displeased with the removal of Nigeria from its CPC designation, where it was rightfully placed last year, as well as the omission of India, Syria, and Vietnam,” she added.
On Wednesday, the Department of State went beyond its purview to remove Nigeria from the list of religious violators without adopting recommendations of USCIRF.
Making the announcement, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that the United States Government removed Nigeria from its list of religious violators, blacklisting China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and seven other nations as countries of particular concern for engaging in or tolerating systemic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.
However, USCIRF faulted the report urging the State Department to reconsider its designation based on facts.
In December 2019, the U.S. government enlisted Nigeria on its “Special Watch List of countries that have engaged in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom.
The blacklisting came at a time when many criticised the Nigerian government over its incessant violations of court orders and the shrinking civic and media space in the country.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Africa
Information minister congratulates Ibietan on re-election as APRA scribe
Mr Idris described Mr Ibietan’s re-election as a well-deserved recognition of his professionalism.
States
Niger governor donates N100 million to IBBU’s College of Medicine, 41 pioneer medical students
Mr Bagana stated that the 41 pioneer medical students of the institution comprised 21 males and 20 females.
Politics
2027: Minister vows to mobilise one million votes for Tinubu, Radda in Katsina
Mr Rabe-Darma vowed to mobilise over one million votes for President Bola Tinubu and Governor Dikko Radda ahead of the 2027 elections.
Heading 5
Mamdani considers arresting Israeli PM Netanyahu if he visits New York
Mr Mamdani said his administration’s legal department is weighing the option of arresting the Israeli leader as determined by the law.
Lagos
LAWMA unveils reforms to end waste backlog in Lagos
He said conventional dumpsites were no longer sustainable because of Lagos’ coastal terrain, limited land availability and growing urban population.
Economy
EU bans destruction of unsold clothing
The policy took effect on Sunday, and the EU also announced it would extend to medium-sized companies starting in 2030.
