Christopher Musa, the Minister of Defence, under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, has said that no one can love Nigeria more than Nigerians. He made the comment while reacting to the Christian genocide claim by President Donald Trump of the United States.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, the minister, while responding to the question on the allegation, explained that Nigerians are being killed, saying, “That is the bottom line.” He noted that both Muslims and Christians are victims of insecurity in the country.
The retired military general said that the international community needs to understand that any effort the country and its partners are making were efforts to stop the killings across the country.
Speaking on the relationship between Nigeria and the United States, the minister explained that the two countries have been good allies and are willing to sustain the relationship. However, he assured Nigerians that the relationship would be sustained “in such a way that our sovereignty will not be compromised.”
However, some Nigerians have started responding to the position of the minister. Below are some of their comments:
Chukwuebuka lamented the insecurity in the country: “Everybody is a victim, but only one group carries out the cleansing. People of the Middle Belt are in the IDPs, but someone is occupying their villages. Gumi is speaking for one group, and only one group is applauding him. We only see one group being accepted as repentants and released.”
Spontaneous commented: “A political appointee, be he Christian or Muslim, would never admit to a Christian genocide, to please his Aso Rock masters. We are not fooled.”
Mustapha Muhammad Kote prayed for the minister: “Good speech by the minister himself, may God help him achieve these reforms.”
Hassan Abdulafiz commended the minister: “Thank you for sharing this interview. Conversations around insecurity deserve seriousness, honesty, and solutions that unite rather than divide us. Border security is important, but it must go hand-in-hand with intelligence, economic inclusion, justice, and trust between citizens and the state. Nigeria’s challenges affect all communities, Christian, Muslim, North, and South. Framing insecurity through facts, empathy, and accountability is the only way we can move forward together. Constructive dialogue like this is necessary, and we hope actions will truly match words for the sake of all Nigerians.”
Bello Anka praised the minister’s response: “The man is as good as the journalist doing the interview.”
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