‘There Is No Christian Genocide In Nigeria’ – Senior Presidential Aide Ogra Emphatically Declares

O’tega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Engagement and Strategy, has dismissed recent claims by some Western figures alleging Christian persecution in Nigeria, describing such assertions as “ignorance dressed as concern.”

Ogra’s response followed comments by United States Senator Ted Cruz and television host Bill Maher, who alleged that Christians were being systematically targeted in Nigeria.

The presidential aide said such narratives were both misleading and patronising, arguing that they distort Nigeria’s complex reality for foreign applause.

“There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria,” Ogra stated firmly. “There is terrorism, the same plague that tore through Iraq, Syria, and Libya, and now creeps through the very West that once exported it. Yet Nigeria confronts it daily, in a few regions, without foreign sympathy or selective outrage.”

He noted that Nigerian soldiers — Christians and Muslims alike — continue to fall side by side in defence of one republic under one flag, stressing that the country’s challenges are rooted in insecurity, not religion. “Nigeria will not be lectured by those who confuse our struggle for security with a struggle of faith,” he said.

Ogra also took aim at Senator Cruz, saying it was ironic for an American lawmaker to accuse Nigeria of religious persecution when “Washington’s interventions helped arm groups like Boko Haram.” He added, “You cannot set a region on fire and then accuse the victims of arson.”

According to him, attempts by foreign voices to “legislate Nigeria’s faith from Washington” amount to “old colonial arrogance dressed in modern language.” He said Nigeria does not seek validation from abroad but demands accuracy and respect for its sovereignty.

“You cannot wrap interference in scripture and call it compassion. Concern is easy when it costs nothing. Facts are harder when they expose convenience,” Ogra said.

He described as hypocritical the attitude of those who ridicule faith for entertainment while ignoring the resilience of Nigerians who, despite challenges, continue to live in peace and mutual respect. “Faith in Nigeria is not a punchline,” he said. “It feeds the hungry, shelters the displaced, and gives hope to the weary.”

The presidential aide maintained that framing Nigeria’s security challenges as religious persecution only strengthens extremists and undermines the country’s efforts to build unity. “This is a coordinated narrative designed to divide, to paint Africa’s most complex democracy as chaos, and to drain our story of dignity,” he said.

Ogra reaffirmed that Nigeria’s identity is anchored in coexistence, not conflict. “The cross, the crescent, and the ancestral spirit stand here, not in conflict but in covenant,” he wrote, adding that Nigeria’s perseverance, not persecution, defines its national story.

“Nigeria is not a victim to be pitied. It is a nation to be respected,” Ogra added, and concluded with “History has taught us that nations built on conviction outlast those built on condescension. Nigeria will outlast both their pity and their prejudice.”