Religious violators list: Stop feeding US govt lies

The Presidency has mocked those “going to America to feed them with incorrect positions” about what is happening in Nigeria.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina spoke on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme.

Lauding the United States government for delisting Nigeria from its 2021 religious freedom violators watchlist, Adesina described it as a “good development”.

Ahead of US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken’s visit to Nigeria last week, the Department of State released its 2021 lists of “Countries of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations.

The eight countries listed are Burma, People’s Republic of China, Eritrea, Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan

Nigeria, which was listed in 2020, was not on the new list.

Adesina said that Nigeria should not have made the list in the first place but for people that always go to the US to feed them with “incorrect positions”.

The presidential aide said, “Nigeria being taken off the watchlist of countries that repress religion. Very good, the Secretary (Blinken) spoke about it: he said America did it when they found out that putting Nigeria on the watchlist was not based on facts and we know the things that happened; Nigerians themselves going to America, going to feed them with incorrect positions about what is happening in the country. That was why Nigeria was put on that watchlist but when America discovered that it was not based on facts, Nigeria was removed from the watchlist. It is a very good development for us.”