US genocide claims an indication of FG’s failure to protect Nigerians – ADC

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Tuesday, attributed the recent claim by the United States President, Donald Trump, of genocide against Christians to the Nigerian government’s failure to protect the citizens.

The US president had on Saturday ordered the Pentagon to map out a possible plan of attack in Nigeria, one day after warning that Christianity was “facing an existential threat” in Africa’s most populous country.

In his post, Trump said that if Nigeria does not stem the killings, the United States will attack and “it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians.”

On Sunday, President Trump reiterated his threat of possible military operations in Nigeria over the alleged killings of Christians.

When asked aboard Air Force One if he was considering U.S. troops or air strikes, Trump said, “Could be, I envisage a lot of things.”

The U.S. President’s declaration has since sparked widespread reactions from political and diplomatic circles.

Reacting during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, on Tuesday, ADC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, urged the Federal Government to be alive to its primary responsibility of securing lives and properties of Nigerians.

“If we prove incapable of understanding the enormity of the crises that we face as a country and other people use that opportunity to kick us around, we should look for balm and rub it and face what matters,” he said.

Bolaji, a former National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, accused the ruling party of its handling of the security situation in the country.

He accused the current administration of living in denial, recalling how the government once tried to dismiss claims of a Christian genocide.

Abdullahi challenged the government to admit its failings over the past two years and assure Nigerians and the international community of its commitment in tackling the issue.

He said: “This situation that we face requires one thing – humility from the government – to acknowledge that whatever we have done in the last two years appears not to be working and for the Nigerian government to bend down and do the real work of protecting Nigerians.

 “When you prove capable of protecting you own people, whether they are Christians or Muslims, nobody is going to come out and say, ‘if you can’t fix your problem, we will fix it for you.’”