The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Reverend Joseph Hayab, has said that former U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning to Nigeria over alleged killings of Christians has been misrepresented by many people.
Speaking with newsmen Hayab clarified that Trump never threatened to invade Nigeria but merely urged the federal government to take decisive action against terrorists killing Christians in the country.
“Listening to what Trump said, Trump never said he was going to come to fight Nigeria. There’s a twisting of all these things. Trump simply said, ‘go after these terrorists; if you don’t go after them, we can come and go after them.’ So, who is afraid of Trump coming to Nigeria?” Hayab stated.
The cleric emphasized that acknowledging the reality of attacks against Christians is the first step toward national healing.
He urged government officials to stop dismissing the pain of victims and instead engage in honest dialogue about the crisis.
He said, “You can’t tell someone who is a victim, who is in pain, that his cries are not true. Once we stop doing that, then we’ll find a solution. Let’s admit that people came and killed Christians, and they came in the name of religion. They came as Islamic fundamentalists. No Christian is saying Muslims had a meeting and asked people to go and kill them, but Christians are saying that fundamentalists, terrorists came in the name of Islam and killed Christians. When we acknowledge that fact, then we’ve started a journey of healing.”
He added that mutual understanding and empathy are crucial to restoring trust among Nigerians.
Reacting to criticisms that Trump’s comments represent an American agenda, Hayab argued that Nigerian leaders should focus on addressing the grievances of victims rather than dismissing foreign concern.
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