A CHRISTIAN REJOINDER: RESTRUCTURING, JUSTICE, AND THE MIND OF GOD FOR NATIONS

Kayode Akano’s essay, “The Inevitability of Restructuring,” is a sobering reminder that nations, like individuals, can deceive themselves for a season—but never forever. From a Christian perspective, however, the argument for restructuring must be grounded not only in history and elite consensus, but in God’s eternal principles of justice, stewardship, truth, and peace. Scripture is clear: when structures are unjust, God Himself calls for their reform—or allows their collapse.

1. God Is Not Anti-Unity; He Is Anti-Oppression

Christian faith does not worship unity at all costs. The Bible teaches that unity without justice is rebellion disguised as peace.

“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees.” (Isaiah 10:1)

The USSR, Yugoslavia, and other empires collapsed not merely because of structural complexity, but because power was centralized without righteousness. In Scripture, God warned Israel that excessive centralization would lead to exploitation (1 Samuel 8:10–18). When Nigeria insists on a unitary structure that breeds poverty, insecurity, and exclusion, it is not unity—it is institutionalized injustice.

2. God Himself Restructured Nations When They Refused to Repent

The Bible is replete with examples where God allowed political “restructuring” when nations hardened their hearts:
• Tower of Babel: God decentralized human power to prevent collective self-destruction (Genesis 11:6–9).
• Israel and Judah: A united kingdom split when injustice and idolatry prevailed (1 Kings 12).
• Roman Empire: Fragmented under the weight of corruption and moral decay.

Thus, restructuring is not rebellion against God; rather, resisting necessary reform is often rebellion against God’s warnings.

3. Leadership Failure Is Real particularly in Nigeria —but Structure Can Cripple Even the Best Leaders

The Christian worldview affirms moral leadership, but it also recognizes the power of systems.

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)

Nigeria’s tragedy is that good intentions are trapped inside bad structures. No leader—however righteous—can sustainably transform a nation where:
• Resources are centralized but responsibilities are decentralized.
• States are emasculated but blamed for insecurity within their borders.
• Productivity is discouraged while rent-seeking is rewarded.

To continue insisting that leadership alone will save Nigeria is to ignore both history and Scripture.

4. Elite Consensus Without Moral Vision Is Dangerous

Akano is right: no nation transforms without elite consensus. But Christians must add a critical caveat—elite consensus without moral accountability produces tyranny, not transformation.

The Jewish elite who envisioned Israel were bound by covenant consciousness. India’s elites invested in education. Singapore’s leaders were disciplined by law and values. In contrast, Nigeria’s elites have often reached consensus only on self-preservation, not national redemption.

“The leaders judge for a bribe, the priests teach for a price… yet they lean on the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us?’” (Micah 3:11)

Christianity calls not just for elite agreement, but repentant leadership anchored in service, justice, and truth.

5. Poverty Amid Abundance Is a Moral Indictment

From a Christian lens, Nigeria’s statistics are not merely policy failures; they are moral scandals.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1)

Oil wealth with mass poverty, gas riches with darkness, idle refineries with paid workers—these are signs of stewardship failure. Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30) warns that wasted resources invite judgment. A structure that rewards waste and punishes productivity cannot claim divine approval.

6. Fear of the Unknown Is Not a Christian Argument

Opposition to restructuring is often driven by fear. Yet Scripture repeatedly condemns fear as a poor guide for national destiny.

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Clinging to a dysfunctional system because of uncertainty is not faith—it is faithlessness. Biblical faith confronts hard truths and chooses obedience over comfort.

7. Peaceful Restructuring Is a Christian Imperative

The Christian position is neither violent disintegration nor blind preservation. It is truthful dialogue, justice-driven reform, and peaceful transition.

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)

Nigeria must learn from Yugoslavia and the USSR—not to fear restructuring, but to embrace it early, consensually, and peacefully, before frustration hardens into conflict.

RESTRUCTURING IS NOT THE GOAL—RIGHTEOUSNESS IS

From a Christian perspective, restructuring is not an end in itself. It is a means to restore justice, dignity, and opportunity to God’s people.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

Nigeria’s current structure is not exalting the nation; it is exhausting it. To refuse restructuring in the face of overwhelming evidence is to tempt history, mock reason, and ignore God’s moral warnings.

Indeed, an idea whose time has come cannot be stopped. But Christians must insist that when restructuring comes, it must be guided by truth, justice, repentance, and peace—not revenge, fear, or elite conspiracy.

Let us get serious—not just politically, but spiritually.

A CHRISTIAN CASE FOR REJECTING THE 1999 CONSTITUTION AND CONVENING A PEOPLE’S NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Christian faith does not worship unity at all costs. The Bible teaches that unity without justice is rebellion disguised as peace. Any political order that enforces togetherness while institutionalizing injustice stands under divine judgment, not divine endorsement.

“Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees.” (Isaiah 10:1)

This prophetic warning speaks directly to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. That document was not the product of the people’s will, nor was it born out of a covenantal consensus among Nigeria’s nations and ethnic nationalities. It was imposed by a departing military regime, crafted in secrecy, and handed down as a fait accompli. In biblical terms, it is an unjust decree—a legal framework that centralizes power, suppresses self-determination, and perpetuates inequality under the false banner of national unity.

Unity Enforced by Decree Is Not Biblical Unity

Biblical unity is covenantal, voluntary, and just. It is never imposed by force or fear.

“Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3)

The 1999 Constitution did not emerge from agreement; it emerged from coercion. It treats Nigeria’s diverse peoples not as covenant partners, but as administrative subjects of a centralized power structure that rewards domination and punishes initiative. This is why insecurity, poverty, and ethnic distrust continue to deepen despite decades of “constitutional rule.”

A Structure That Protects Injustice Cannot Claim Moral Legitimacy

The present constitutional order has:
• Enabled systemic land grabs and demographic engineering through weak federal protections
• Normalized security asymmetry, where some violent actors are appeased while others are crushed
• Concentrated resources at the center while producing mass poverty at the margins

Scripture is unequivocal:

“You have wearied the Lord with your words… by saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord.’” (Malachi 2:17)

A constitution that excuses injustice in the name of unity invites divine displeasure. No amount of patriotic rhetoric can sanctify an unjust foundation.

The Moral Necessity of a People’s National Conference

In the Bible, whenever a covenant was broken or corrupted, God’s people gathered to renew the foundations.
• Joshua gathered Israel at Shechem to renew the covenant (Joshua 24)
• Nehemiah convened the people to rebuild Jerusalem’s broken walls and laws (Nehemiah 8–9)

Nigeria is at such a moment. What is required is not cosmetic amendment, but foundational renewal—a People’s National Conference where all ethnic nationalities, faith communities, civil society, women, youth, and the diaspora freely negotiate the terms of their coexistence.

Such a conference is not rebellion; it is repentance.
It is not disintegration; it is restoration.
It is not a threat to unity; it is the only path to just and sustainable unity.

Peace Without Justice Is Only a Pause Before Crisis

Those who insist on preserving the 1999 Constitution in the name of “stability” misunderstand both history and Scripture.

“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:14)

Nigeria’s wound is structural. Until it is treated, no election, no leader, and no slogan can heal the nation.

Conclusion: Rejecting Unjust Decrees Is a Christian Duty

To reject an unjust constitution is not to reject Nigeria; it is to love Nigeria enough to tell the truth.

“Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.” (Isaiah 1:17)

The time has come for Nigerian Christians—and all people of conscience—to say clearly: a nation cannot be built on unjust laws and survive. The 1999 Constitution has served its season; it has failed its test.

The path forward is peaceful, lawful, and moral:
A People’s National Conference that births a truly national, just, and covenant-based constitution.

Only then can Nigeria fulfill her God-given destiny—not as a forced union, but as a righteous nation.

Kingsley S. Ayinde
January 3, 2026

TINUBU’S GAMBIT TO TURN NIGERIA INTO A THEATRE OF RELIGIOUS WAR

Basil Okoh

Bola Tinubu is diving head first into the deep ends of international sectarian politics without the knowledge of the stench and intrigue in the pool.

He is inviting Turkey, an old player in religious politics to join the murky waters of stopping terrorism in Nigeria, when Turkey itself is often accused of financing terror across the world including Nigeria. Turkey will waste no time to come to Nigeria and save the Muslim faith and the faithful. That’s Turkey’s sworn duty to Islam.

The state of Israel has also invited itself to save Nigerian Christians from Muslim genocidal attacks. Israel has suffered most in world history from genocide. The word “genocide” rankles among Jews.

Radical Islam is secretly supported worldwide by Turkey, defender of the Muslim faith, which is the ostensible reason Tinubu and the Fulani are inviting Turkey to come and save radical Muslims in Nigeria from American Tomahawk missiles.

So a grand fight of the religions is been set up in Nigeria by President Bola Tinubu, ably supported and goaded on by the Nigerian Fulani oligarchy.

Now here’s where the trouble has deep roots: For over a thousand years, the Ottoman empire, now renamed Turkey, has provided protection for Muslims across the world and helped defeat their enemies, no matter how dastardly the crimes muslims commit.

Islam does not need provocation to kill you. The fact alone that you’re not Muslim is good enough reason to kill you. So for Turkey, the fact that a radical Muslim kills you is not a bad thing.

The Ottomans were the warriors who finally overran Constantinople in its dying days and forcefully converted the Eastern Roman empire to Islam. It destroyed and renamed all the great temples and churches of the Roman empire and finally renamed Constantinople itself to Istanbul, which it still bears to this day.

Istanbul today is the Constantinople of old, the Roman capital that converted to Catholicism and led to the vast acceptance and expansion of Christianity.

Since 1453AD, the Ottoman empire led by Mehmed 11 conquered Constantinople from the Byzantines, the Ottomans have through wars and conquests, expanded the frontiers of Islam, mostly at the expense of Christian dominion. The Ottomans devastated the Byzantine, Central Asia, Southern Europe, including Southern Spain and Portugal, all of North Africa from Egypt to Morocco and forcefully converted from Christianity to Islam. The Ottoman empire now renamed Turkey, are Central to the expansion of Islam across the world. Turkey today still bears the name: “Defender of the faithful” among Muslims.

Without any knowledge or sense of history or perhaps out of his own mischief, Bola Tinubu, President of a multi-religious Nigeria, has turned to Turkey to call in military support for the mediation of what he calls a religious conflict in northern Nigeria. Turkey does not mediate in religious conflicts, Turkey fights for Muslims and for the advancement of Islam.

In the frenzy of the American bombardments of terrorist enclaves in Sokoto area of Nigeria, Tinubu is undergoing a devastating meltdown, revealing his lack of willpower, utter cluelessness and weakness both as a man and as leader of a country.

The picture of Bola Tinubi that is emerging is ugly, so ugly indeed that we believe Tinubu has not only lost control of the instruments of governance, but that he is ready to hand Nigeria to ancient enemies Turkey and Israel and submerge it in a sectarian conflict that will reduce the country to a burning vast land.

Bola Tinubu has proceeded secretly to Istanbul after a secret meeting with the Sultan of Sokoto and what can be called the war council of the Fulani oligarchy. By his actions so far, Tinubu is pitching tent with the Fulani against the rest of Nigeria and the American establishment. He is abandoning the ship of state and inviting Turkey, an established sectarian interloper that can only take sides with Muslims in the face of a challenge in Nigeria.

The person without good breeding and education is finally showing in Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Two days ago Tinubu himself announced to the leaders of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that his government has extended formal invitation to the government of Turkey to intervene in the fight against insecurity in the country. The Christian leaders, obviously without knowledge and no sense of history themselves, nodded in approval and ended the meeting carrying gifts home. What they did not know is that Bola Tinubu, out of his own mischief, is moving to take Nigeria into a vortex of religious conflict that see no end in a thousand years. Palestine, check. Lebanon, check. Syria, check. Iraq, check. Iran, check. Afghanistan, check. Somalia, check.

Turkey is the acknowledged leader of the Muslim world and is seen to this day as the defender of the Islamic faith. Saudi Arabia and Mecca may be the birthplace of Islam but the historical expansion and propagation of the faith across much of Arabia, Palestine, Southern Europe and Central Asia was led and achieved by the Ottoman empire, now renamed Turkey. Turkey, has maintained political leadership of the Muslim world and has remained the defender of the Muslim faith for hundreds of years.

Today, the military and political power of Turkey is only checkmated by the state of Israel but Turkey remains a formidable force as member of NATO. The projection of its power northwards to Russia through the Strait of Bosphorus and the black sea and through countries of the Muslim Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and up to Indonesia). Turkey however has never been able to challenge or outflank Israel because of the overwhelming power of Israel itself and the guaranteed protection of America.

Bola Tinubu’s invitation of Turkey to intervene in the resolution of Islamic terrorism in Nigeria is dubious and lacks sincerely. Turkey has long been suspected of providing armament, intelligence and logistics to the Nigerian terror groups with international affiliations like ISIS and al-Qaeda. So Bola Tinubu is not fooling anyone by going to Istanbul to seek friends. He is seeking to open up Nigeria to international sectarian conflict. By siding with Fulani who have been hurt by the American bombardment of Fulani Lakurawa terrorists in Sokoto, Bola Tinubu has chosen to take side against peace and the people of Nigeria.
The trenchant Islamist government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey, takes serious steps to ensure that Islam continues to flourish in Turkey and expand across the world. So Turkey can only come to Nigeria to support the forceful conversion of people to Islam. That is the sworn commitment of Turkey for hundreds of years. Turkey has never really been able to untangle itself from international accusations of cavorting with implacable Islamists and Jihadi across the world.

Now just at the very time Nigeria is contending with different groups of murderous Islamists and when America and Israel have come to help wipe out the insurgency, Bola Tinubu’s government is inviting Turkey into the fray as a counterforce to Israel and America. His invitation is to help defend the Islamic faith against a perceived Christian onslaught in Nigeria, no matter the fact that it enjoys Muslim support. Tinubu and the Fulani are hoping to make Turkey to defend Islam by helping to counter and stop the elimination of terrorists in Nigeria.

This action is evidence that Tinubu is seeped in deep conceit and is taking terrorism as another side to his politics while working to make Nigeria the cauldron of international conflict of faith between Christianity and Islam. Bola Tinubu in collusion with the Fulani whose hegemony is being threatened by American actions against terror groups, are trying to set up a violent clash between Christianity and Islam in Nigeria. Every other ethnic group, including the Hausa, have welcomed and endorsed the American actions to wipe out Islamic violence in Nigeria.

The danger of the growing convergence of terrorist organizations in Nigeria has not been of any serious concern to the Tinubu government or the Fulani oligarchy. The Fulani want to continue to use the terrorists to perpetuate fear and further their hegemony in Nigeria while Tinubu wants to use them to foster instability which will be exploited to give him a second tenure.

Dr. Ahmad Gumi was denied ingress into Saudi Arabia last year for championing terrorism in Nigeria. The very pro-Western Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern States will not be lured to support groups advocating violent Islam when their own tegimes stand at the risk of been overthrown by violent Islam. They rely on America for protection against violent Islam. The Saudi government had previously expressed outrage at the philosophy of Nigeria’s Boko Haram (book is Haram or forbidden) scorching at the statement which ostensibly denies Arab and Muslim contribution to world scholarship.

The Arabs know that Tinubu and the Fulani want to set up a fight between Christian America and the Muslim world and most would have no part in such a conflict that will be difficult to resolve. Arabs will be morally guilty from the start, backing Muslims who are guilty of committing genocide on Christians without provocation. So the Fulani pursuit of partners and supporters in a war of blame will be a no-win situation. Turkey will be foolish to be goaded into such a conflict as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has expressed Israeli commitment to do what is necessary to stop Christian genocide in Nigeria.

All considered, Turkey can never take up a fight against America in Nigeria. They are both members of NATO and Nigeria will be too inconsequential in their power and relationship consideration. So will Turkey not take up a fight against Israel in Nigeria, no matter how clandestine. Turkey watched Gaza razed down and could not do a thing. Nigeria is an outlier compared to Palestine and Turkey is not about to lose its men and equipment challenging Israel in a distant Nigeria.

So what does Bola Tinubu and the Fulani hope to gain by planting conflict and confusion in Nigeria and inviting international religious war in Nigeria? The naiveté of Tinubu’s government and their low understanding of world politics can be shameful. To think that their low acumen can provoke conflict between America, Israel and Turkey is laughable. Nigeria is of very low strategic interest to these countries and their perception of the integrity and quality of Nigeria’s leaders is low.

But for the missing rare earth minerals from the northeast and the new interest in uranium mining, Nigeria is of low strategic interest to America, Israel and Turkey. Oil or no oil.

Basilokoh.

Christian Elders Urge Tinubu to Jettison 1999 Constitution, Push New Charter Before 2027 – NNUYA https://nnuya.ng/christian-elders-urge-tinubu-to-jettison-1999-constitution-push-new-charter-before-2027/

The group further urged President Tinubu to convene a national conference of ethnic nationalities to renegotiate Nigeria’s political foundation and produce a new constitution before the 2027 elections.

The NCEF also made a controversial call for northern states to dismantle Sharia criminal law systems and revert to the Penal Code, arguing that Nigeria’s persistent insecurity and instability stem from what it described as a conflict between democratic governance and Sharia ideology.

“The root cause of the crisis in Nigeria is the conflict between democracy and Sharia ideologies. The Muslim North should revert to the Penal Code approved by the Sardauna and dismantle Sharia criminal law,” the elders said.

They maintained that Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state and warned that operating parallel legal systems for the same country had created deep national contradictions.

The forum accused successive governments of allowing religion to dominate governance, alleging that religious bias had contributed to violence, particularly against Christian communities in parts of northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt.

“As Christian elders, we appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rise above personal ambition and think about the legacy he would leave behind. This is a season that calls for sacrificial leadership,” the group said

*NATIONAL CHRISTIAN ELDERS FORUM (NCEF)*

*MR PRESIDENT, WHAT LEGACY WOULD YOU LEAVE BEHIND?*

_“A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation.” ― James Freeman Clarke_

*HIGHLIGHTS:*
• The current distress in the country affords President Tinubu opportunities to provide solutions that would be enduring legacies for his administration.
• The root cause of the crisis in Nigeria is the conflict between Democracy and Sharia ideologies.
• The Muslim North should revert to the Penal Code approved by the Sardauna for the North and dismantle the Sharia criminal law.
• The 1999 Constitution lacks legitimacy, and it should be decommissioned immediately.
• The 2027 election should not take place under the 1999 Constitution but under a new constitution. Nigeria should stop validating an illegitimacy every four years.
• President Tinubu should initiate the birthing of a new Constitution as one of his legacies to Nigeria. This would put him in the ranks of Robertson Constitution, Mcpherson Constitution, and the Lyttleton Constitution.
• The Government of President Tinubu should convene a conference of the ethnic nationalities to re-negotiate Nigeria and produce a new Constitution for the country before 2027.

Mr President,

The National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) brings greetings to Mr President in these trying times while we commiserate with multitudes of Nigerians who have been negatively impacted by the ongoing terrorism in Nigeria. The Forum of Christian Elders condoles families that have suffered the loss of loved ones, and empathises, through the Lay Faithful Trust Foundation, with those in the IDP camps. We pray, and we keep working, that this distress shall pass quickly.

As Christian elders, we appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on whose shoulders lies the responsibility of steering the ship of the state at this critical period, to consider our counsel in this brief presentation. This season calls for sacrificial leadership that will set aside all personal ambitions and work for the common good of all. It is leaders who make the sacrifices that posterity honours. History etches in gold the names of those who make a difference for good in their generation. At this point, Mr. President should be thinking about the legacy he would leave behind. In other words, what does President Tinubu want to be remembered for?

The crisis which Nigeria is going through affords Mr. President the opportunity to distinguish himself as a noble statesman. He should be thinking of turning the present distresses in the country into challenges to which he would provide lasting solutions and win the accolades of generations to come. Only such a commitment can bring the current distress in Nigeria to a quick end. Nigeria is calling for leadership that will set aside partisan politicking and focus on bringing a new Nigeria out of the current rubble induced by the unrestrained politics of religion.

Since 2015, NCEF has been cautioning against the unbridled incursion of religion into the body politics of Nigeria. The eight years of President Buhari witnessed the promotion of sectional religious interest over and above the national interest. That posture does not appear to be declining. It is based on religious discrimination that genocide is still being committed against Christian populations in Nigeria in the North and Middle Belt regions of the country. The violence is spreading all over the country.

NCEF is aghast that there could be a denial of religiously induced genocide against Christian populations in Nigeria. Since its inception in 2015, NCEF has written over one hundred and twenty-one (121) papers on the incursion of Sharia ideology into governance in Nigeria. The incursion of Sharia ideology into the 1999 Constitution created dual conflicting ideologies for Nigeria. Repeatedly, NCEF cautioned that Nigeria is operating two different ideologies for the same country and two sets of laws for the same people. Nigeria is a secular state, and its national ideology is democracy.

In 2017, NCEF asked Muslim leaders in Nigeria nine questions when they sought to deny genocide against Christians. To date, no Muslim leader has answered one of those nine questions. It is therefore surprising that the same leaders of Islam can still deny in 2025 that there is genocide against Christians in Nigeria.

Mr. President, the root of this crisis is the illegitimate and unilateral insertion of Sharia ideology into the 1999 Constitution by a Muslim Military Head of State, who used his position to promote his religion over and above other religions in the country. The starting point in resolving this crisis is as follows:

1. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) must be decommissioned immediately. It failed the test of a true Constitution for Nigeria because it was neither negotiated by the ethnic nationalities nor passed through any Constituent Assembly. Its claim of “we the people …” is not only false, it is also fraudulent. We cannot build a nation on fraud.
2. The Sharia ideology must be consigned as “personal” law, and every structure supporting Sharia “criminal law” must be dismantled forthwith.
3. Mr. President should convene a conference of the ethnic nationalities to re-negotiate Nigeria and come out with a new constitution of the people, by the people, for the people. We suggest that this should be done before the next election in 2027.
4. It would not be in the interest of Nigeria to conduct another election under a constitution that does not represent the collective agreement of Nigerians. Nigeria should no longer continue to endorse illegality every four years.

NCEF is aware that the matter of Sharia evokes emotion amongst Muslims of the core North. However, the controversy can easily be resolved if we travel down memory lane to the foundation of Nigeria at Independence. The late Sardauna wanted Sharia, but the request was declined by the Colonial Authority because Sharia failed the “repugnancy test”. We shall quote three legal luminaries on this matter: Mr. Solomon Asemota, SAN; the late Professor Ben Nwabueze; and the late Justice Mohammed Bello.

Mr. Solomon Asemota, SAN, commented thus:
“It is also very clear that Sharia cannot be enforced as state law, which was why the Sardauna took the trouble to ensure the passage of the Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure in 1960, which has the following features:
a. It was applicable to everybody in Northern Nigeria.
b. It was internationally accepted and above all
c. It was Quran compliant.
If the above is the correct state of the two laws, then there is need to return Sharia to the status it was before 1975 – Civil and Personal Law.”

The late Professor Ben Nwabueze gave his legal opinion as follows:
“The conclusion is thus inescapable that the prohibition in section 10 of the Constitution stamps with an indelible taint of unconstitutionality, the Sharia criminal law, whether in its original form as contained in the Quran and the Sunnah or in a codified form to be enacted by the National Assembly or a State House of Assembly.”

The late Justice Mohammed Bello commented thus:
“Section 38(1) of the Constitution ensures for every person the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, whereas under Sharia, ‘ridda’ (change of religion) is a capital offence. Consequently, the offence of ridda is inconsistent with Section 38(1) and by virtue of Section 1 is unconstitutional.”

Mr. President, based on the legal opinions of these legal luminaries, there should be no delay in setting in motion the process of giving Nigeria a new constitution. The twelve states in the North that introduced Sharia law should revert to the Penal Code. It was the deviation from the Penal Code that brought Nigeria into this crisis. To fully resolve this crisis, NCEF wishes to outline the following recommendations to Mr. President for his careful consideration:

a) There should be an immediate decommissioning of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
b) In the interim, Nigeria should revert to its 1963 Republican Constitution, being the only constitution that was negotiated by the founding fathers of Nigeria. The 1963 Republican Constitution was not abrogated. It was “suspended” by the Military in 1966. Mr. President can lift the suspension and with some minor amendments, resume its operation.
c) A Conference of ethnic nationalities should be convened to renegotiate Nigeria and produce a new constitution for the country.
d) A Truth and Reconciliation Commission should be established, for the healing and rebuilding of trust among all the divergent groups in Nigeria.
e) Professionalism should be restored to the Army through the dismissal of all “repentant terrorists”.
f) Government should enable the IDPs to return to their ancestral homes.
g) Maximize the assistance offered by the United States of America to neutralize all terrorists who have been undermining the State and compromising security all over the nation.

Mr. President, we conclude with the words of James Freeman Clarke, that “a politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation.” We appeal to you to seize the rare opportunity of turning the present crisis in Nigeria into legacy projects that will etch your name in gold for generations to come. We pray that you will superintend the emergence of a new constitution that will restore peace, progress, and prosperity to Nigeria. In years to come, History will speak of a Tinubu Constitution, like the Robertson Constitution, the Mcpherson Constitution, and the Lyttleton Constitution. Your current report card, when assessed by Section 14(2)b of the 1999 Constitution, is not encouraging. Security and welfare of the citizens are at the lowest rung of the ladder of the performance index. You should not leave this report card behind. It will haunt you and your descendants for generations to come. We encourage you to rise like a noble statesman and set politicking apart to provide lasting solutions to the problems of Nigeria. That should be your legacy, not the 2027 election. We believe that this should be done before your first term in office is over.

NCEF wishes to thank all the kind-hearted people, locally and internationally, who have expressed concern and willingness to help Nigeria in this period of distress. We pray that Mr. President will take seriously our counsel, that posterity remembers and honors those who make a difference in their generation.

God bless Nigeria.

For, and on behalf of, NCEF,


Dr Samuel Danjuma Gani, CON
Chairman

25th December 2025

Date: December 22, 2025

A Response from the Voice of the Persecuted Christian in Nigeria
To the Visiting U.S. Congressional Delegation

Honourable Members of Congress-Rep. Bill Huizenga and included Reps. Michael Baumgartner, Keith Self, and Jefferson Shreve,


We welcome you—not as dignitaries, but as witnesses.

We speak to you not from conference rooms or carefully curated briefings, but from burned villages, mass graves, orphaned children, widowed mothers, and churches that have become crime scenes. We speak as Nigerian Christians who live every day under the shadow of violence, displacement, and selective justice.

You say you have come to listen. Then please hear us plainly.

We did not ask for American troops on our soil. What we ask for is truth, moral clarity, and consequences for impunity.

You say the United States has ruled out “boots on the ground.” Very well. But understand this:
what is killing us is not the absence of U.S. soldiers—it is the absence of accountability.

You say the CPC designation is meant to “encourage reform through diplomatic pressure.” Yet from where we stand, that pressure seems to evaporate the moment it meets the comfort of Nigerian political elites. Our attackers still roam free. Our complaints still go unanswered. Our killers are rarely prosecuted. Entire Christian communities in the Middle Belt—Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna—are erased, while officials call it “communal clashes.”

Respectfully, this language is part of the problem.

You say the violence affects “communities of all faiths.” That is true in theory—but incomplete in practice. What we experience is patterned, persistent, and targeted. Churches are attacked. Christian farmlands are seized. Pastors are abducted. Worshippers are slaughtered. And when we cry out, we are told to be patient, to trust systems that have failed us repeatedly.

You distinguish between terrorism in the North-East and so-called communal violence elsewhere. On paper, that distinction may comfort policy frameworks. On the ground, it buries bodies. The men who attack us carry weapons of war, shout religious slogans, and act with confidence that no authority will stop them. Whether you label them terrorists, militias, or bandits, the result is the same: Christians are dying, and justice is absent.

You say “true friends don’t walk away.” We agree.
But true friends also do not sanitize reality to preserve partnerships.

If Nigeria’s CPC status is to be reviewed based on “measurable progress,” then please tell us:
– How many convictions for attacks on Christian communities count as progress?
– How many displaced Christians returning safely to their lands count as progress?
– How many dismantled terror networks count as progress?

Because what we see instead is a government skilled at making promises, forming committees, issuing statements—and doing very little.

You speak of “shoes on the ground, not boots.” Humanitarian aid is welcome, but aid without justice becomes a revolving door. We do not want to be permanent refugees fed by donations while our ancestral lands are occupied and our killers rewarded with silence.

We are concerned—deeply—that your visit risks becoming another photo opportunity that allows corrupt officials to say, “America understands us,” while nothing changes for those bleeding in the villages.

If you truly wish to help, then we ask for this:
• Name the violence accurately. Stop hiding targeted persecution behind neutral language.
• Tie diplomatic engagement to consequences. Visa bans, financial sanctions, and aid conditionality against officials who enable or ignore violence.
• Demand prosecutions, not promises. Justice is the deterrent we lack.
• Listen beyond government offices. Sit with survivors, widows, pastors, displaced families—without handlers.
• Do not trade our lives for stability optics. A stability built on mass graves is temporary and dangerous.

You warn that insecurity in Nigeria has global consequences. You are right. But understand this:
when Christians are slaughtered with impunity, when the rule of law collapses selectively, extremism does not stay local.

We are not asking the United States to fight our battles.
We are asking you not to help our oppressors feel comfortable.

History will remember whether this moment was one of courageous truth—or convenient diplomacy.

We are still here. We are still alive. We are still praying.
But we are running out of time.

The Persecuted Christian in Nigeria
Kingsley Shola Ayinde
On behalf of many whose voices were silenced before you arrived.

STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE

A FAILED OPPOSITION ENGAGING IN SUBTERFUGE AND THE EMPTY SEARCH FOR SCAPEGOATS

Nigeria's so-called opposition politicians, comprising some of those left in a dying political party and a sprinkling of some failed political office aspirants regrouping in a platform struggling to find its bearings, are amusing lots.

They blow hot air, seek scapegoats for their failure and move to confuse the polity in a desperate search for cheap political gains.

On Sunday, a group of opposition figures gathered to sing their familiar tune, hoping their cheerleaders would see their action as a blistering attack from a seemingly virile opposition group.

They alleged a threat to multi-party democracy because many top politicians are joining the governing All Progressives Congress of their own free will. Our constitution guarantees freedom of association and affords our people the right to change their political leanings at any time of their choosing.

None of the people who joined the governing APC was pressured to do so. They all did so of their own free will. They are being motivated by the noticeable gains of President Bola Tinubu's reform programme.

We may ask: when politicians were moving in droves to the now-dying Peoples Democratic Party between 2000 and 2015, was Nigeria's democracy imperilled?

Also, investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have begun exposing those with some explanation to give regarding their stewardship in office and management of public funds entrusted to them. These politicians now accuse President Tinubu of weaponising the EFCC for political purposes.

While the Presidency does not speak for the EFCC and believes the agency can speak for itself, we must reiterate that the EFCC is an independent institution established by law and empowered to carry out its statutory responsibilities without interference or favour.

The agency's mandate is to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, irrespective of the personalities involved, their political affiliations, or their positions in society. We find it curious that the same people who claimed they want to rescue Nigeria are now the ones waging a war of attrition against accountability and probity. Those who have cases to answer before EFCC should be bold and brave enough to defend themselves if they are clean.

President Tinubu does not issue directives to any anti-corruption agency on whom to investigate, arrest, or prosecute.

President Tinubu has significant state issues to address rather than engage in political targeting.

The prosecution is conducted by the court, not by any sleight of hand, and those found not guilty will receive a clean bill of health.

Allegations of "weaponisation" are distractions from these politicians, who are running short of campaign issues to challenge President Tinubu and the APC's success in less than three years in office.

No one is above the law. Everyone must be accountable for their actions, both in and out of the office. Political affiliation should not be a shield against EFCC statutory work, which recently led to Nigeria's removal from the FATF grey list.

We have taken cognisance of the signatories to the statement. It is instructive that some of them were previously investigated and prosecuted by the EFCC even before President Tinubu took office in 2023.

Some of these politicians have also been indicted in international financial probes for money laundering, with some of their accomplices jailed in foreign lands.

Are they now signing statements because their chickens are coming home to roost?

We advise those politicians not to undermine the integrity of our nation's institutions and the collective resolve to fight corruption by weaponising politics to escape accountability and encourage impunity.

The fight against corruption is a collective responsibility and should not be trivialised by baseless allegations, jaundiced or politicised narratives.


Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
December 14, 2025

Opposition Leaders Raise Alarm over Threat Against Nigeria's Multi-Party Democracy

*Accuse Tinubu govt of plot to annihilate opposition

*Demand independent review body to examine public accounts of federal, state, LGs from 2015 to 2025

*Propose embedding anti-graft operatives directly into government payment, expenditure processes at all levels


PRESS STATEMENT

Anti-Corruption, Not Anti-Opposition: A Joint Statement by Opposition Leaders on the Growing Politicisation of State Institutions for Persecution of the Opposition

We are compelled by duty to nation and conscience to issue this statement to alert our compatriots and the international community to the unfortunate and gradual slide of our country into a state where key national institutions - particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); The Nigeria Police; The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are increasingly perceived as tools of political intimidation, selective justice and systematic persecution of opposition leaders.

Across our nation, there are mounting concerns that state power is being deployed not for prevention of economic crimes, but for persecution of perceived political adversaries, with the ultimate aim of weakening opposition voices and dismantling Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.

A Dangerous Agenda Unfolding

More than ever before in our democratic experience, Nigerians have witnessed what many now describe as a covert, undemocratic agenda: to ensure that all state governments fall under the control of the President’s party - not through transparent electoral contests, but by secretly intimidating opposition governors via the anti-corruption apparatus until they succumb and defect. Recent defections of opposition governors into the ruling party have reinforced public suspicion that political pressure, not ideological or personal persuasion, is driving this realignment. This pattern forms part of a broader project that targets not only elected leaders but also key opposition figures perceived as architects of emerging coalitions ahead
of the 2027 general election. We must warn that this project, if allowed to continue unchecked, poses a grave danger to Nigeria’s democratic future.

Weaponisation of the EFCC

There is a discernible pattern of persecution of the opposition by the EFCC with the sole objective of weakening same for the benefit of the ruling APC. This disturbing pattern mirrors a long-standing sentiment openly expressed years ago by a former National Chairman of the ruling APC, Adams Oshiomhole, who declared when receiving defectors from the PDP: “Once you have joined APC, all your sins are forgiven.” Whether intended as political rhetoric or not, this statement has come to symbolise a troubling reality: allegations against members of the ruling party are routinely perceived to be overlooked, while even unsubstantiated accusations against opposition figures are vigorously pursued and subjected to media trial.
A few recent examples reinforce this perception. Months ago, a minister was implicated in a financial scandal so blatant that only sustained public outrage forced her resignation. Yet, long after stepping down, she has neither been charged nor arraigned by the EFCC and is now actively involved in the President’s re-election campaign. Similarly, another minister remained in office despite the university he claimed to have attended publicly denying his academic certificate. He, too, resigned only after intense public pressure, Months later, no charges have been filed.
Such selective enforcement undermines the legitimacy of anticorruption efforts and erodes public trust. Furthermore, Nigerians are not blind to the sudden empowerment of certain political actors, including individuals appointed to federal executive positions after crossing from the opposition but still claim to be members of opposition party - whose unstated mandate, in the public’s eyes, appears to include the systematic destabilisation of opposition parties through the creation of factions, inducement and the exploitation of judicial processes, allegedly funded by state resources.

Erosion of EFCC’s Independence

The EFCC is a critical national institution, created to safeguard Nigeria’s economic integrity.
Yet today, many Nigerians fear that its independence is steadily being eroded. An agency designed for prevention and accountability risks becoming an instrument of political persecution, undermining both justice and democracy. The President must recognise that evident social and political injustice could snowball into mayhem as the nation approaches another election cycle. This trend must be halted immediately if the nation must be spared a major catastrophe.

OUR DEMANDS
• Depoliticise EFCC: The operations of the EFCC must be urgently shielded from political interference and must not serve the whims and caprices of any President, party or political faction.

• Return EFCC to Its Statutory Mandate: The Commission must refocus on genuine detection and prevention of economic crimes across board, not selective prosecution, media trials or intimidation of opposition figures. For the avoidance of doubt, the Functions and Powers of the Commission are expressly provided for under Sections 6 & 7 respectively.

• Defend Multiparty Democracy: Nigerians must remain eternally vigilant to ensure that the President does not transform the country into a de facto one-party state - as witnessed in Lagos over the last 25 years, where opposition leaders were silenced, coerced or induced into irrelevance.

• Embed Preventive Anti-Corruption Mechanisms: Relying on the Supreme Court ruling on the powers of the EFCC over all public accounts, for true prevention of financial crimes, anti-graft operatives should be embedded in all the payment processes of governments at all levels to ensure compliance with rules of transparency, accountability and probity in public financial transactions. Put differently, the EFCC must recognise and exercise their function as covering both pre and post expenditure. operatives must also be held accountable for any unreported but later detected economic and financial infractions in their respective areas of oversight. To further strengthen the EFCC, we propose that the EFCC Act should be amended for this purpose.

• Establish an Independent Review Body: We call on the Attorney General, in consultation with the National Assembly, to set up an independent review body which should be granted full access to the public accounts of the federal, all states and all local governments covering from 2015 to 2025, with a mandate to conduct a transparent, comprehensive review of financial transactions and publish its findings. Such a review will expose the EFCC’s pattern of selective prosecution of opposition figures and reveal that many current officials of the federal government—and those of ruling-party-controlled states—should have long been prosecuted for economic and financial crimes, but were shielded due to their political affiliation. Based on its findings, the independent body should also propose amendments to EFCC’s enabling law to strengthen the agency for more effective and efficient prevention of financial crimes.
This proposed body is to be chaired by an eminent judge, and composed of the following:
- Representatives from civil society organisations
- Representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association
- Representatives of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria
- Representatives of Institute of Chartered Bankers
- The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit
- Representatives of anti-graft agencies
- Representatives of the Police
- Representatives of the DSS
- Representatives of the Armed Forces
- Representatives of all political parties with a seat in the National Assembly.

A Call to Defend Nigeria’s Democracy

We call on all patriotic Nigerians across party lines, professions, regions and faiths to stand firm. Our democracy is under threat through the deliberate and systematic weakening of opposition forces, with the EFCC as the central instrument in this troubling strategy.

In the coming weeks, we will provide more details, and also engage foreign partners of Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies and diplomatic missions, including United States, UK, Canada, EU, World Bank Office, United Nations, to express our deep concern about the EFCC increasingly becoming a willing tool in a broader scheme to weaken opposition in Nigeria, and also demand a reform of the anti graft agency.
Nigeria’s democracy demands our vigilance, courage and unity, as Edmund Burke, an Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher, warned: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".
We are equally guided by the enduring words of Martin Luther King Jnr: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil ......In the end we shall remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Now is the time for all of us to rise in defence of our cherished multiparty democracy, and indeed, in defence of the very soul of our nation.
We must make a deliberate choice not to be remembered by posterity for our Silence.
Nigeria belongs to all of us - not to a single party or a single leader.
Signed,
Sen. David Mark, GCON
Alh. Atiku Abubakar, GCON
Mallam Lawal Batagarawa
Chief Bode George
Mr. Peter Obi, CON
Chief John Odigie-Oyegun