The Nigeria Controversy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I734EZXvHqM

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/10/2/no-bill-maher-there-is-no-christian-genocide-in-nigeria

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/1/trump-threatens-to-launch-attacks-in-nigeria-over-killing-of-christians

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoywuyiRY_w

https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/is-there-a-christian-genocide-happening-in-nigeria/

https://www.africanews.com/2025/10/17/nigeria-denies-ted-cruzs-christian-genocide-claims//

The first link is to a recent episode of Al Jazeera's Inside Story. One of the panelists is from the Right-wing Hudson Institute. Despite the fact these panelists argue that to simply call what is going on in Nigeria 'a Christian genocide' is misleading and an oversimplification, there are those who will continue to insist this is what is taking place. There are even Christian leaders in Nigeria protesting this representation by the American Right.

Nevertheless the Christian Right is pushing hard and now that Trump is involved and issuing threats, momentum is building. They want this precedent - the American military being used to aid Christians abroad.

In January 2025, I wrote a two-part article on the coming threat of an authoritarian dystopia. In the second part I touch on Nigeria and the looming crises surrounding that country. Contrary to the Right which discounts all threats posed by population growth, one need only look to places like India, Pakistan, Congo, and Nigeria to understand what this means and have a notion as to the catastrophe looming on the horizon.

Make no mistake Christians are being killed in Nigeria but the situation is complex and while religion becomes part of the equation, it is misleading to just argue these are Muslims targeting Christians in a genocide. Further, even the rise of Boko Haram, ISIS (WAP), and others cannot easily be divorced from the social upheaval. There's a reason why Salafism finds fertile ground in such locations - that it never has before. From the Balkans, to the Caucasus, and Sub-Saharan African, societies are under great stress. There are issues connected to population, limited resources, and economic stress due to globalization and the destruction of local and traditional economies. This is leading to anger, frustration, migration, extremism, and war.

https://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2025/01/blair-roman-beast-and-mark-i.html

https://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2025/01/blair-roman-beast-and-mark-ii.html

In not a few cases, colonial and post-colonial factors also come into play. Again, it's complicated and while there are cases of Christians being targeted by Salafists and others (like Fulani tribesmen), it is dangerous to invoke the genocide charge. Besides whatever might be taking place, the Christian response should never involve an appeal to violence, let alone to call on an imperial-Bestial power (like the United States) to come to their aid - in the name of Christ. And yet such a move would not be in the name of Christ. It cannot be. Those who think so do not know Him.

Nigeria has the largest oil reserves in Africa and the 11th largest in the world. It is a prize and especially important for geopolitical strategists that want to steer growth on the continent. While this sudden interest from Trump is certainly about investment and profits, there's also a desperate desire to develop Africa and start building stronger economies in the Sub-Saharan region. A failure to do so will certainly result in some of the largest migration and refugee flows in history. The events of 2015 will seem like a dress rehearsal at best. The Western strategy is to coerce governments to restrict migration, arm and train their militaries, and generate investment in order to remove the desire and incentives to flee to Western developed countries.

But all of this also requires stability and this has been elusive. An America expedition would probably not help. Besides, that's not the American way. And bombing in this case would be of limited value. This is why (in part) the US has invested in drone bases - it's a weapon that is effective when combatting paramilitary groups and yet it's also devastating, prone to error, and traumatising to local populations. Ask the people that live along the Afghan-Pakistan border. To them it was simply put - a form of terrorism.

There are those in the US who would want nothing to do with Nigeria. Others are salivating at the prospects - though it would seem they are a bit naive. American Evangelicals have been very keen to get involved in African politics and engage in Dominionist projects there and as stated they want the precedent of US intervention on the behalf of Christians.

Some are acting as agents for Wall Street interests. Just over one-half of Nigeria is Muslim - it is not a likely place for a Constantinian project and such efforts could lead to a massive war. And given Nigeria's history and the precariousness of the region, such a conflict could easily spread. In addition, a war would likely spark a massive exodus which will not only affect Europe, but it's likely to destabilize neighbouring countries as well.

The US played a major role in carving out South Sudan and creating the new nation in 2011. Today's civil war in Sudan and all the suffering that goes with it is an indirect result. American meddling destabilized and broke the rump state that was left in the north. The instability led to factionalism and now further fragmentation and widespread death and destruction. We would all do well to remember that Nigeria's civil war in the late 60's and early 70's resulted in over a million dead.

I don't pretend to know what the answer is for Nigeria. It's too complex and there are no easy solutions. But I am appalled by the notion that American Evangelicals wish to sabre-rattle and egg on their Neronic Neo-Fascist Messiah to launch a crusade. This is not the answer and we must reject those who would call us 'woke' simply because we want to tell the truth and reject their framing, narratives, and the manipulation of the facts.