United States lawmakers on Wednesday held a congressional hearing to assess global threats to religious freedom, with Nigeria drawing significant attention as a major area of concern. The session, convened by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, revisited persistent allegations of violence and persecution against Christians in Nigeria—claims the Nigerian government has repeatedly denied.
Opening the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Congressman Chris Smith referenced findings by the advocacy group Genocide Watch, describing Nigeria as “a killing field of defenceless Christians.” He welcomed the U.S. State Department’s recent decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), praising the move as a correction of what he described as a longstanding error in U.S. foreign policy.
Although Smith acknowledged that Nigerian authorities have taken limited measures to address the situation, he expressed strong criticism of what he called attempts to downplay the severity of the crisis. He cited reports of a $9 million lobbying contract between the Nigerian government and Washington-based firm DCI Group, alongside a separate $120,000 monthly agreement involving a Nigerian security executive and Valcour Global.
According to Smith, these lobbying efforts are aimed at shaping U.S. policy narratives rather than confronting the underlying problems. He argued that the use of foreign lobbying firms reflects a continued “culture of denial” among Nigerian officials regarding the scale of religious violence in the country.
0 Comments