A coalition of Christian youth organizations has strongly condemned Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, for allegedly misrepresenting the Christian Association of Nigeria's (CAN) stance on the alleged genocide of Christians in Nigeria. The coalition, comprising groups like the Concerned Christian Youth Forum and the Middle Belt Youth Vanguard, accused Bwala of downplaying the severity of attacks on Christian communities.
Bwala had visited CAN's national secretariat in Abuja, where he reportedly claimed that Western media and US lawmakers were exaggerating the situation, stating that insecurity in Nigeria wasn't religiously motivated. However, CAN has denied this, insisting that Bwala distorted their position and accused him of trivializing the pain of victims ¹ ² ³.
The coalition described Bwala's comments as "treacherous and misleading," emphasizing that Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the North and Middle Belt, face systematic persecution. They urged political leaders to prioritize truth and justice, rather than personal ambition, and called for urgent government action to address the violence ² ¹.
CAN has also slammed the presidency for presenting a false report on the alleged Christian genocide, reiterating that the killings are real and demand immediate attention. The controversy has sparked intense debate, with some prominent figures, like the Sultan of Sokoto and Catholic Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, dismissing claims of genocide as misleading ³ ⁴.
