Religious freedom: Applause for the US?

The United States of America recently announced that Nigeria with two other countries remains a country of particular concern over the countries attitudes towards some people or groups of people’s religions and beliefs considered to be minorities. The countries whose attitudes towards minorities are negative are said to deny the people their freedom to practice their religions.

The minorities are discriminated,  against denied freedom of expression, association and movement. Even they are said to be deprived of opportunities to get government employment. The State Department of the US specifically referred to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) whose leader has been in incarceration for years and a man who was trying to convert a Muslim girl. The United States has often portrayed itself as a defender and campaigner for enshrinement and enforcement of fundamental human rights, and it has not stopped imposing sanctions on government officials, agencies and the country that violates human rights and freedom. Sudan was for several years under the US sanctions until recently when the sanctions were lifted on the African nation. But as far as Nigeria is concerned, we must not allow the US threaten and cow us as it does to other less powerful countries.

Truly, the current Nigerian government has shown its unprecedented contempt for human rights and freedom, notably freedom of speech and expression; disdain for the judiciary and institution and total disregard for rule of law, the main tenets of democracy we practice, or claim to be practising. There is no overstatement in saying that the era of khaki boys has been returned to the country. Nevertheless, ours is an internal affair, the country shouldn’t take order from any foreign government. Even the US doesn’t have a clean hand to “blacklist” or give stern warnings to other countries considering its activities and interests in some other countries.

Besides, the Trump administration has done little to protect the black people’s rights. Under his watch, white supremacy rises, the LGBT community is under threat, and there is no toleration for migrants. He who must come to equity must come with clean hands.

Nigerians should continue mounting pressure on the Buhari administration to change its perspective and approach to rule of law that is the basic foundation for democracy. We may not need to wash our dirty linen in public. The USA deserves no applause let alone some attention as far as its declaration is concerned. That the Buhari administration has a penchant for arbitrary rule is a fact.

The United States has no locu standi to warn or blacklist us. So, the State Department view deserves no applause.

Timothy Faboade,

Oyo State.