• Tasks experts to counter genocide claims
• Christian genocide ongoing in Plateau, El-Buba insists
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has accused unnamed foreign interests of orchestrating sustained propaganda aimed at misrepresenting Nigeria as a country where people are persecuted for their faith.
Therefore, the Federal Government called on communication professionals and Public Relations (PR) practitioners to deploy truth-based communication strategies in countering the false narrative of the alleged genocide against Christians being peddled by some foreign interests.
Despite persistent denials by the Nigerian government that there is no religious genocide in any part of the country, Jos, Plateau State-based clergy, Isa El-Buba, insists that there is genocide, especially in the state, “where Christians are being killed” and systematically exterminated.
The minister, while unveiling preparations for the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) Abuja 2026, yesterday, dismissed claims of a Christian genocide in the country, stating that the allegations were despicable single narratives propagated to weaken the nation’s unity and global image.
WPRF, to be hosted by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), in partnership with the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, has the theme, ‘Responsible Communication: The Voice of the World’. It will bring together global leaders, scholars and PR practitioners to deliberate on ethical communication and global information integrity.
He said: “We must come to terms with existential reputational threats to our national brand, in which external purveyors of untruth are mischaracterising our nation as a destination for a so-called persecution of people based on their faiths.
“For the umpteenth time, I am emphatic that there’s no iota of truth in the claim of a Christian genocide in Nigeria.”
President of the NIPR, Dr Ike Neliaku, commended the Federal Government for its support and expressed confidence that the 2026 WPRF would showcase Nigeria’s transformation to the world.
The Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Yahaya Abubakar, also pledged the support of traditional institutions towards the successful hosting of the forum.
El-Buba, the Founder and President of EL-Buba Outreach Ministries International, in a video message he shared on his social media handles yesterday, said, contrary to what the Federal Government wanted Nigerians and the international community to believe, Christians in the state were being killed by Islamic extremists and fundamentalists.
Giving an analysis of faith-based killings, the outspoken cleric noted that the ratio was an alarming 6.5:1 to a Muslim being killed.
He said: “There is this video sent to me by my brother, Rev Ezekiel Dachomo, which I watched. This is the reality of what we have been talking about. Now, if you want to go and make an analysis of the statistics of Christians that have been killed, it is 6.5 to the ratio of 1 of Muslims killed. That means Christians are killed 6.5 times more than Muslims.
“So the question to ask is: who are the killers? Is it the Muslims killing themselves and then coming after Christians? Just look at this; there was a recent mass burial in three locations in Plateau on the same day. And the government insists there is no Christian genocide. Just judge for yourself. The advisor to President (Donald) Trump or whoever can say whatever they want to say, but there is no way they can deny what we are going through in Plateau.”
