The Ekiti Council of Elders on Tuesday called for calm over the designation of the country as a Country of Particular Concern and the threat by President Donald Trump to impose sanctions and possibly deploy US forces over allegations of genocide against Christians, saying that there is no need to lose sleep over it.

Recall that President Trump had designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) due to alleged severe violations of religious freedom, specifically citing the persecution and killing of Christians in the country. This designation could lead to potential sanctions or other policy actions against Nigeria.

The designation was made on October 31, 2025, when Trump stated that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”

The elders, who said that there are more probable reasons behind the declaration, including economic reasons, declared that President Bola Tinubu is capable of handling the issue diplomatically, using the avalanche of human resources available in the country.

The Council of Elders, led by the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mr Olufemi Adewumi, spoke at a press briefing to herald the Joel Babatola Annual Lecture organised by the Board of Trustees of the Ekiti Council of Elders in Ado Ekiti.

“When this same President Trump was President of the USA, he designated this country as a Country of Particular Concern. It is not ordinary; there is more to it than meets the eye. I believe that the reason behind what is happening now has economic reasons behind it.

“We note that Nigeria has the human resources to manage a crisis of this nature. We are confident that in a matter of days the whole crisis will just disappear. I believe that the President, Bola Tinubu, has the capacity to tackle this. Ordinarily, we should not be worried. As far as we are concerned, it is nothing to lose any sleep over.”

Adewumi, a retired Head of Service in Ekiti, explained that the initiative was conceived to celebrate the life and legacy of Chief Babatola, who served as a Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Awolowo during Nigeria’s self-government era in the 1950s, a role comparable to that of a Chief of Staff to a modern-day governor.

He stressed that Babatola, who died at 96, was also the pioneer Chairman of the Ekiti Council of Elders, where he contributed immensely to social and political development across the Southwest.

The objectives of the annual lecture, themed “Governance, Structural Reforms and Economic Landscape of Nigeria in the 21st Century,” according to him, are to stimulate intellectual reflections on cultural and political challenges in contemporary society, inspire patriotism among descendants of Yorubaland, and honour the contributions of exemplary forebears whose values shaped Yoruba identity and governance.

He added that the maiden edition will feature former Governor of Osun State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, as the guest lecturer, and will attract dignitaries from across Yorubaland, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, as the Royal Father of the Day; Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji; and the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe.