BY EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO<\/p>\n
President Donald John Trump of the United states of America through
\nhis secretary of state Mr. Mike Pompeo has just announced for the
\nsecond time that the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the
\nadministration of President Muhammadu Buhari is intolerant of
\nreligious plurality when the USA added Nigeria to religious freedom
\nblacklist.<\/p>\n
The United States on Monday placed Nigeria for the second time on a
\nreligious freedom blacklist, paving the way for potential sanctions if
\nit does not improve its record.<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated the US ally as a \u201cCountry
\nof Particular Concern\u201d for religious freedom, alongside nations that
\ninclude China, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Pompeo did not elaborate on the reasons for including Nigeria, which
\nhas a delicate balance between Muslims and Christians.<\/p>\n
But US law requires such designations for nations that either engage
\nin or tolerate \u201csystematic, ongoing, egregious violations of
\nreligious freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pompeo notably did not include India, which has a growing relationship
\nwith Washington, and was infuriated by a recommendation from the US
\nCommission on International Religious Freedom to include the secular
\nbut Hindu-majority nation over what it called a sharp downward turn
\nunder Prime Minister Narendra Modi.<\/p>\n
Other nations on the blacklist are Eritrea, Myanmar, North Korea,
\nTajikistan and Turkmenistan.<\/p>\n
Pompeo removed from a second-tier watchlist both Uzbekistan and Sudan,
\nwhose relations with the United States have rapidly warmed after the
\nousting of dictator Omar al-Bashir and its recent agreement to
\nrecognize Israel.<\/p>\n
On Nigeria, an annual State Department report published earlier this
\nyear took note of concerns both at the federal and state levels.<\/p>\n
It pointed to the mass detention of members of the Islamic Movement in
\nNigeria, a Shiite Muslim group that has been at loggerheads with the
\ngovernment for decades and was banned by a court.<\/p>\n
The group has taken inspiration from Iran, ordinarily a major target
\nof President Donald Trump\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n
However, Nigeria has been widely criticized for its treatment of the
\nmovement, including in a 2015 clash in which hundreds were said to
\nhave died.<\/p>\n
The State Department report highlighted the arrests of Muslims for
\neating in public in Kano state during Ramadan, when Muslims are
\nsupposed to fast during daylight hours.<\/p>\n
It also took note of the approval of a bill in Kaduna state to
\nregulate religious preaching.<\/p>\n
While the designations relate to government actions, the State
\nDepartment has already listed Nigeria\u2019s Boko Haram as a terrorist
\ngroup.<\/p>\n
The international media notes that militants began an insurgency in
\n2009 in north-eastern Nigeria that has since spread to neighbouring
\ncountries, killing more than 36,000 people and forcing three million
\nto flee their homes, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n
Under US law, nations on the blacklist must make improvements or face
\nsanctions including losses of US government assistance, although the
\nadministration can waive actions.<\/p>\n
To begin with, we need to get a clear understanding of the import of
\nthis classification which has for the second year running being
\nimposed in compliance with an extant executive order on advancing
\ninternational religious freedom.<\/p>\n
Specifically, the section 4 of this executive order made on June 2,
\n2020 stressed that it is being made to mainstream International
\nReligious Freedom into the United States diplomacy. Other components
\nare:
\n(a) The Secretary shall direct Chiefs of Mission in countries of
\nparticular concern, countries on the Special Watch List, countries in
\nwhich there are entities of particular concern, and any other
\ncountries that have engaged in or tolerated violations of religious
\nfreedom as noted in the Annual Report on International Religious
\nFreedom required by section 102(b) of the International Religious
\nFreedom Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-292), as amended (the \u201cAct\u201d),
\nto develop comprehensive action plans to inform and support the
\nefforts of the United States to advance international religious
\nfreedom and to encourage the host governments to make progress in
\neliminating violations of religious freedom.
\n(b) In meetings with their counterparts in foreign governments, the
\nheads of agencies shall, when appropriate and in coordination with the
\nSecretary, raise concerns about international religious freedom and
\ncases that involve individuals imprisoned because of their religion.
\n(c) The Secretary shall advocate for United States international
\nreligious freedom policy in both bilateral and multilateral fora, when
\nappropriate, and shall direct the Administrator of USAID to do the
\nsame.
\nBesides, to make sure that the classification on nations in the
\nblacklist makes some sense, the government of the United States of
\nAmerica intends to use economic sanctions against political rulers of
\ncountries designated as being antagonistic to religious plurality.
\nSection 6 which is the economic tool component of this executive order
\non advancing international religious freedoms specifies that:
\n(a) The Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury shall, in
\nconsultation with the Assistant to the President for National Security
\nAffairs, and through the process described in National Security
\nPresidential Memorandum-4 of April 4, 2017 (Organization of the
\nNational Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and
\nSubcommittees), develop recommendations to prioritize the appropriate
\nuse of economic tools to advance international religious freedom in
\ncountries of particular concern, countries on the Special Watch List,
\ncountries in which there are entities of particular concern, and any
\nother countries that have engaged in or tolerated violations of
\nreligious freedom as noted in the report required by section 102(b) of
\nthe Act. These economic tools may include, as appropriate and to the
\nextent permitted by law, increasing religious freedom programming,
\nrealigning foreign assistance to better reflect country circumstances,
\nor restricting the issuance of visas under section 604(a) of the Act.
\n(b) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary
\nof State, may consider imposing sanctions under Executive Order 13818
\nof December 20, 2017 (Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in
\nSerious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption), which, among other things,
\nimplements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act
\n(Public Law 114-328).
\nSec. 7. Definitions. For purposes of this order:
\n(a) \u201cCountry of particular concern\u201d is defined as provided in
\nsection 402(b)(1)(A) of the Act;
\n(b) \u201cEntity of particular concern\u201d is defined as provided in
\nsection 301 of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act
\n(Public Law 114-281);
\n(c) \u201cSpecial Watch List\u201d is defined as provided in sections 3(15)
\nand 402(b)(1)(A)(iii) of the Act; and
\n(d) \u201cViolations of religious freedom\u201d is defined as provided in
\nsection 3(16) of the Act.
\nSec. 8. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be
\nconstrued to impair or otherwise affect:
\n(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or
\nagency, or the head thereof; or
\n(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and
\nBudget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative
\nproposals.
\n(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law
\nand subject to the availability of appropriations.
\n(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or
\nbenefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by
\nany party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or
\nentities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.<\/p>\n
The Buhari\u2019s Central Government strongly disagrees with the
\nblacklist just as the Buhari\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
The Federal Government has reacted to the designation of Nigeria as a
\ncountry of concern on religious freedom by the United States
\nGovernment.<\/p>\n
The government said that Nigeria will vigorously engage the US
\ngovernment to remove its name from its blacklist of countries over
\nconcern on religious freedom.<\/p>\n
The government\u2019s reaction is contained in a press statement which
\nwas issued by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday,
\nDecember 8, 2020, and signed by the ministry\u2019s spokesman, Ferdinand
\nNwonye.<\/p>\n
While expressing its displeasure to the US government on this
\ndevelopment, the Nigerian government said that it remained committed
\nto ensuring respect and protection of all citizens\u2019 rights to
\nreligious freedom and promotion of religious tolerance and harmony.<\/p>\n
The statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry reads, \u201cThe
\nattention of the ministry has been drawn to an announcement made by
\nthe U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, stating that the government
\nof the United States of America has designated Nigeria as a \u2018country
\nof concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998\u2019.
\n\u201cThe Federal Government of Nigeria received the news with surprise,
\nthat a secular country under a democratic government will be so
\ndesignated. Although the Nigerian state is multi-religious and
\nmulti-ethnic, the Nigerian constitution expressly states that the
\ngovernment shall not adopt any religion as state religion.
\n\u201cFurthermore, section 38 of the constitution guarantees that every
\nNigerian citizen is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and
\nreligion including freedom to change his\/her religion or belief. And
\nfreedom to manifest and propagate his\/her religion or belief.
\nReligious liberty in Nigeria has never been in question, therefore any
\nclaim contrary to that is completely false and untrue.
\n\u201cThe ministry wishes to assure that the Nigerian government will
\nengage the U.S government to express its displeasure and request that
\nNigeria be removed from the list.\u201d<\/p>\n
The truth however is that for the last five or six years, many
\nChristian communities in some Northern states have been attacked
\nsystematically by the marauding armed Fulani herdsmen.<\/p>\n
Many Christians have also lost their lives just as over 100 Christian
\ncommunities in Southern Kaduna have been taken over by the advancing
\narmed Fulani herdsmen.<\/p>\n
Both the Federal and Kaduna State governments actively supports these
\nattacks in Southern Kaduna because for the last four years, not one
\nattacker has been prosecuted by either Kaduna state governor or the
\nFederal Attorney General Mr. Abubakar Malami.<\/p>\n
Ironically the three top government officials that need to act to
\nprovide succour to these victims of deprivation of homelands and lives
\nare Fulani and they are President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal
\nAttorney General Abubakar Malami and Governor Nasir El Rufai.<\/p>\n
The HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) wrote to the
\nFederal Attorney General to demand that these armed Fulani herdsmen
\naccused of attacking Christian Communities in Southern Kaduna, Benue
\nState should be prosecuted. The Federal Attorney General and Minister
\nof Justice replied us and categorically stated that these killers can
\nnot be prosecuted because he has no case files on the alleged crimes.
\nIn Benue state, Christian communities were targeted and Catholic
\npriests killed but for five years the attackers have so far not been
\narrested, prosecuted or punished.<\/p>\n
In Kano state, even when section 10 of the Constitution categorically
\nprohibits the elevation of any religion as state religion, the state
\ngovernment has clearly declared Islam as state religion. Christians
\nare deprived of their fundamental rights as citizens because they
\ncannot engage in such economic activities as selling beer and running
\nother social businesses.<\/p>\n
In most states in the North, Christians cannot obtain licenses to
\nbuild places of Worship but in the South there is no restrictions on
\nthe building of Mosques.<\/p>\n
The Central government under President Buhari has also cornered most
\nof the strategic positions and posted Moslem and Northerners as
\nagainst the Federal character principles.<\/p>\n
Under this current government of Muhammadu Buhari, you need to be a
\nMoslem of Hausa\/Fulani or Kanuri lineage to get top security
\nappointments. in the area of employments at the Federal levels, there
\nare no level playing fields under the current government. So how is
\nanybody saying that the current Central government does not qualify to
\nbe black listed when the government refused to rescue a school girl
\nbecause she is a Christian from Yobe state but others who are moslems
\nwere released when two years ago they were violently abducted by
\nIslamic terrorists in the North East state of Yobe? Christian Pastors
\nare kidnapped and killed, Churches are burnt, but the Federal
\nadministration which encourages discrimination against Christians is
\ndoing nothing. Stiff sanctions against the person of the President
\nMuhammadu Buhari and his entire cabinet should be imposed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO is head of the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF Links: BY EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO President Donald John Trump of the United states of America through his secretary of state Mr. Mike Pompeo has just announced for the second time that the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nNIGERIA (HURIWA) and blogs @www. huriwanigeria.com<\/a>\u00a0[1],
\nwww.huriwa@blogspot.com<\/a>,\u00a0www.thenigerianinsidernews.com<\/a>\u00a0[2].<\/p>\n
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