The First Lady, Remi Tinubu, has dismissed growing international claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria as “propaganda” designed to undermine the administration of her husband, Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during separate engagements in the United States, Mrs Tinubu said the narrative of systematic killing of Christians was exaggerated and politically motivated, insisting that it resurfaced after the Federal Government stabilised the nation’s troubled economy.
In an interview with The Free Press on Thursday, the First Lady said her trip to the U.S. was partly to “clarify recent hype on social media that there is Christian genocide in Nigeria.”
She said, “We went through a very dark tunnel. Food prices were up. Exchange rates were up. We went through a lot.
“And now, when the world is saying, ‘Oh, Christian genocide…’ They’ve tried a lot to bring this government down. But now we are out of the tunnel. Nigeria is growing steadily. A lot of reforms are being made.”
Mrs Tinubu, who is also a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, maintained that the administration had navigated severe economic turbulence marked by soaring food inflation and a sharp depreciation of the naira.
She suggested that the renewed global attention on attacks against Christians was strategically amplified to discredit the government at a time it was consolidating economic reforms.
However, records show that concerns over the killing of Christians in Nigeria predate the current administration.
In 2014, President Tinubu, then an opposition figure, condemned the killing of Christian worshippers under former President Goodluck Jonathan, describing it as a failure of leadership and national security.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with The Hill during her U.S. visit, Mrs Tinubu reiterated that international concerns about religious persecution in Nigeria were largely driven by “propaganda.”
Despite downplaying claims of genocide, she called for intensified international collaboration in the fight against terrorism and banditry, particularly in northern Nigeria.
The First Lady reportedly described recent U.S. military strikes targeting terrorists in the region as a “blessing,” urging more decisive actions against armed groups destabilising parts of the country.
Her remarks have since sparked debate among rights advocates and political observers, who argue that while the genocide label remains contested, persistent attacks by terrorists and bandits some with sectarian undertones—require sustained and transparent government response.
Security agencies have repeatedly maintained that insurgency and banditry in Nigeria are driven largely by criminality and extremism rather than an officially sanctioned religious agenda.
The Presidency has yet to issue a formal statement elaborating on the First Lady’s comments as of press time.
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