The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina has criticised the United States’ government for placing Nigeria on the Special Watchlist of countries violating religious freedom.
Adesina, speaking on a Channel Television political programme, Sunday Politics, said the United States has not been appointed as the policeman of the world and further advised the Donald Trump’s administration to focus on burning issues affecting the United States.
The United State authorities had on Friday announced that it has placed Nigeria on a Special Watch List for tolerating “severe violations of religious freedom.”
The United States’s secretary of state Mike Pompeo had stated that “No country, entity, or individual will be able to persecute people of faith with impunity. These religious freedom designations show that when faith is attacked, we will act.”
Adesina, however in his rection maintained that the US has not been appointed as the ‘Policeman’ of the world.
“The United States itself has a lot to chew solving its own problems not to talk of pock nosing into another country. Nobody has appointed them the policeman of the world. Let them face their own issue,” he said.
Adesina also called on the US and other foreign powers to respect the internal issues of Nigeria, stressing that the Federal Government doing business with them does not mean the nation’s sovereignty should not appreciated.
According to him, the US Secretary of States, Mike Pompeo does not have a clear understanding of things happening here in the country.
When asked if the accusation of the violation of religious freedom is not a reality, the presidential spokesman replied saying: “It is a discredited narrative as the Minister of Information (Lai Mohammed) has said.”
Adesina’s comment comes hours after Mohammed faulted the report on religious freedom, accusing the US government of being misled by disgruntled elements.
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The Information Minister noted that Nigerians enjoy unfettered freedom to practice their religion and it is unfortunate that the US fell for the antics of the discontented and the unpatriotic few.
