By Peter Omopo
A member of the United States Congress, Bill Huizenga, has sharply criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of failing to adequately confront Nigeria’s escalating insecurity.
Huizenga made the allegation on Thursday while testifying before the US House Subcommittee on Africa during a hearing on Nigeria’s redesignation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
The hearing comes shortly after US President Donald Trump reinstated Nigeria on the CPC list on October 31, 2025, citing alleged systematic persecution of Christians and hinting that military intervention options were on the table.
‘Tinubu Government Not Doing Enough’ — Huizenga
Speaking during the hearing, Congressman Huizenga faulted what he described as the Nigerian government’s weak response to extremist violence, accusing the official delegation in Washington of attempting to downplay the situation.
“It ought to be outrageous that Christians, moderate Muslims, and anyone in Nigeria is being terrorised by radicalised Islamists, and we’ve got the Tinubu government sitting back and not doing enough,” he said.
He added that when asked during a Nigerian TV interview whether the government was taking appropriate action, he responded:
“No, they are not.”
Huizenga criticised what he called attempts by Nigerian officials to provide “excuses” during their engagements in the US, insisting the worsening situation must be confronted directly.
Media, Some US Lawmakers Also to Blame, Says Huizenga
The congressman also accused parts of the US media and some lawmakers of ignoring or minimising the scale of violence in Nigeria.
“We’ve got not just the mass media; we’ve got people within Congress denying or de-emphasising what is happening,” he said.
Recalling the Christmas Eve 2023 attack in Plateau State that left more than 200 people dead, Huizenga argued that the incident demonstrated that security conditions were deteriorating, not improving.
He questioned the pattern of religiously motivated attacks, asking:
“Do we see Christians killing Muslims the way radicalised Islamists kill Christians in Muslim areas?”
Nigeria Rejects Allegations of Religious Persecution
The Nigerian government has dismissed Trump’s CPC redesignation and allegations of religious persecution.
President Tinubu insisted that Nigeria remains a secular democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our reality,” he said in a response issued earlier.
More Testimonies Expected
Thursday’s hearing also expected appearances from senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders as Washington reviews potential policy actions.
Nigeria was first placed on the CPC list in 2020 under the Trump administration but was removed by former President Joe Biden shortly after taking office.
The renewed designation and criticisms have sparked debate in Nigeria and raised concerns over the potential diplomatic and economic implications.
