Elder statesman and founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Abubakar Tanko Yakasai, has dismissed claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, insisting that Christians and Muslims have coexisted peacefully for generations.
Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, the veteran politician accused foreign media of inflaming religious tensions and criticised U.S. President Donald Trump for comments suggesting targeted killings of Christians in the country.
Yakasai, a prominent figure in Nigeria’s radical political movement of the 1950s and 1960s and a former commissioner in Kano and special assistant on National Assembly liaison to President Shehu Shagari, said narratives of religious persecution were being exaggerated for political gain.
According to him, “I don’t agree there is Christian genocide. Some Christians close to the United States of America took advantage of their closeness to Donald Trump.
“Christians and Muslims have been living in peace with one another; we are brothers and sisters. Few individuals went to America to talk to Trump. Christians and Muslims are not living in separation.
“The majority of the people in the West, East and South are Christians, but in the North and the Middle Belt, there are a substantial number of Muslims. My parents were from the Middle Belt. For ages, long before the British came, we lived together in peace.
“Those who converted to Christianity were what we called pagans. The Muslims did not convert to Christianity, and that is why Christianity is much stronger in the Middle Belt region. Interestingly, my parents were from the Middle Belt.
“In every home, we have Christians and Muslims living together in peace.”
He argued that Trump’s claims were influenced by a few individuals with ties to the U.S., describing him as “an opportunist” seeking relevance. Yakasai stressed that religious diversity long predates colonial rule, particularly in the Middle Belt, where mixed-faith families remain common.
On insecurity in the country, the elder statesman said the problem is national but more pronounced in the North. He advocated for the establishment of zonal police commands, noting that previous proposals for regional policing should be revisited due to the overstretched capacity of the Nigeria Police Force.
However, he rejected the idea of state police, warning that it could be easily manipulated by politicians.
His words, “There was a move at one time that there should be the establishment of a zonal police. This problem is not limited to one side of the country; it is a national problem. There was a move at one time that there should be six police establishments. I think the issue should be revisited because it is a good idea because the number of the police force is not enough to cover the whole country. There will be a zonal setup, and people will know their area and locality. They will be in a better position to handle the problems more effectively.
“State police”, he said, “are subject to manipulation by individuals and political interests. At one time, there was a move for a zonal police. If anybody was in favour of a zonal police, I would support it.”
Addressing perceptions of a rift between the North and South, Yakasai said no such suspicion exists. He added that President Bola Tinubu is likely to seek and possibly win a second term in 2027, given the political and financial structures at his disposal.
He said, “Personally, I believe that in Nigeria’s politics today, as has been the practice, President Tinubu will seek a second term and is most likely to win because he has the resources to back his ambition. We are practising democracy, and as such, democratic norms and conventions, as well as our constitution, should be our guiding principle. 2027 is still about two years away.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s challenges, Yakasai said every nation faces its own problems and that no single group or individual can be solely blamed.
“Any country has its problems. You cannot single out an individual or a group of people to make peace. The creation of God, built in America, Russia, and China – all of them have problems. Wherever you have people, human beings, you have problems. And it is the human beings who will seek the help of God to overcome their problems,” he added.
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