Elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai says there is no truth to the claims that Nigerian Christians are being targeted in a “genocide”
He said Christians and Muslims have lived together peacefully for generations.
The elderstates man who just turned 100 years old accused some foreign media outlets of “inflaming religious tensions” and faulted United States President Donald Trump for suggesting Christians were being targeted.
He said a few Nigerians with ties to the U.S. fed Trump with misleading stories.
According to Yakasai, “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.”
He said both religions have always lived side by side: “Christians and Muslims have been living in peace with one another; we are brothers and sisters.”
He added that mixed-faith families have existed in the Middle Belt long before colonial rule.
“In every home, we have Christians and Muslims living together in peace,” he said.
Yakasai also described Trump as “an opportunist”, saying the President was misled by individuals “seeking relevance.”
On insecurity, he said the problem affects the whole country but is worse in the North.
He supported creating zonal police commands to improve security response but rejected state police, saying they could be manipulated.
His words: “There was a move at one time that there should be the establishment of a zonal police… the number of the police force is not enough to cover the whole country.”
He added: “State police are subject to manipulation by individuals and political interests.”
On politics, Yakasai said he expects President Bola Tinubu to contest in 2027 and possibly win.
“President Tinubu will seek a second term and is most likely to win because he has the resources to back his ambition,” he said.
He noted that every country has its own challenges and no single group can be blamed.
“Any country has its problems… wherever you have people, you have problems,” he said.
Yakasai condemns media, Trump, for ‘inflaming’ Christian genocide claims in Nigeria
