President Bola Tinubu has dismissed suggestions of religious intolerance in Nigeria, affirming that the country remains firmly governed by constitutional guarantees protecting freedom of religion and belief for all citizens.

Responding to remarks credited to US President Donald Trump, Tinubu on Saturday emphasised that his administration has, since 2023, maintained open and active engagement with both Christian and Muslim leaders while addressing security challenges affecting citizens across all faiths and regions.

“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” Tinubu stated.

He noted that religious freedom and tolerance have always been central to Nigeria’s collective identity, stressing that the country “opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”

The President reaffirmed that Nigeria’s Constitution provides strong guarantees for the protection of citizens irrespective of their faith and reiterated his government’s commitment to working closely with the United States and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation in protecting all religious communities.

Full statement below;

Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.

The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.

Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.

Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.

Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.