The Federal Government has kicked against the United State tagging Nigeria as a country that violates religious freedom, saying the postulation tag was a share mischief narrative which was long being discredited. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed debunked the statement against Nigeria yesterday in Abuja, Nigerians are enjoying their freedom of religion practice contrary to the claim by the US government.
The Minister blamed the bad losers from amongst politicians of such antics, and sometimes even some supposedly respected elders for venturing into blackmail where they use religion to play the victim card especially in a build-up to the recent 2019 general election with the aim to frustrate the Buhari lead government through the use of religion.
He noted on El-Zakzaky issue, sighted by the US government, the Minister revealed that was a purely criminal matter as is already being handled by the court of competent jurisdiction.
He said the government welcome constructive criticism from any group, at the same time reject any attempt to sow a seed of discord amongst the various religious group in the country.
The Minister disclosed it was unfortunate that the US Nigeria so much respect has fallen for such cheap antics of the discontented and unpatriotic few elements who may not hesitate to set the country on flames when their greed for power could not be achieved.
He noted that the Nigerian government is much aware of how the political opposition, in particular, has been working tirelessly deploying resources to ensure the security challenges are kept escalating to paint the government in a bad light.
The deliberate attempt to paint the farmer /herders and Biko Haram conflict with a religion brush has always being their dream which they crave to actualise, and this has succeeded in misleading the US into believing that the narrative peddled by such elements if anything to go by, portrays the government as doing nothing to curb the menace of the crime.
However, He added as the government position on farmer/herders clashes has nothing to do with religion but a struggle on environmental and socio-economic realities. Therefore the religious coloration given to the problem is just like given Dog a bad name in order to hang it.
More so, the Boko Haram are just terrorist who does not regard any live or tenet of any religion only waging war on innocent civilians, the Minister added.