The recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Concern” by U.S. President Donald J. Trump is a welcome development and, indeed, a long-overdue moment of truth.

At last, someone, somewhere, has taken notice of the plight of Christians in Northern Nigeria, a plight our own government has consistently failed to acknowledge, let alone address.

For far too long, Christians in the North have been abandoned by the very nation that should protect them.

Successive governments, northern Muslim leaders, and even some Christian leaders and governors have paid lip service to peace, human rights, and unity. Meanwhile, the systematic rewriting of the history of northern minorities continues, with their lands seized, quotas stolen, traditional institutions debased, and political representation denied.

In many northern cities and institutions of learning such as Bayero and Sokoto Universities and in several other northern establishments, churches are not permitted to be built (while mosques abound), thereby encouraging jihadist ideologies that are hostile to the Christian faith. This is not so in the South, which is raising the question if we have a separate government from the south. What tradition or otherwise permits one sector to be enslave by the other at this modern time? These are the realities of the North that the Trump question is raising that the government must answer.

The sponsorship and protection of jihadists, forced marriages that destroy Christian homes, and denial of equal opportunities are all part of this sustained pattern of persecution.

The Federal Government must no longer deny these realities. It must set up a credible, independent inquiry led by courageous and impartial Nigerians who will be saddled with the responsibility of investigating these allegations.

The killings in Benue and Plateau States, where there is no evidence of theft or criminality, reveal a scorched-earth campaign targeted at persecuted Christian communities. The persistent killing of pastors in Southern Kaduna, the neglect of dangerous roads, and the half-hearted measures in Borno all prove that there is knowledge of the truth, but no political will to confront it.

It is high time that Churches in Nigeria began to speak out by calling on the government to rise to the occasion of providing a level playing field for all religions to practice freely. The church is not speaking enough and the government is not properly advice in spite of the many Christians in government.

That said, we acknowledge and commend the Kaduna State Government’s early steps toward reform and peaceful coexistence, and we pray that these baby steps grow into a model of fairness and justice for the entire North.

As a nation, we must face ourselves in the mirror. Sometimes, only external forces, like Trump’s bold stance can make us confront our reflection, since we appear incapable of doing so ourselves.

In spite of his many contradictions, Trump has become, perhaps, a hand of divine correction, compelling nations to look inward. Britain, too, must share in this reflection, for it bears part of the foundational errors that have kept Nigeria divided.

Whether one calls it “external interference” in a so-called sovereign nation or not, something must challenge the recklessness of African leaders who continually mortgage the future of their people. Africa still has a chance to rise and that rebirth must begin with Nigeria.

Our leaders must act, whether our plundering politicians are ready or not, for time is running out. The moment of reckoning is now.

Apostle Dr. Emmanuel Nuhu Kure
Chairman, Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA)
Former National Secretary, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN)