Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle, has criticised the Bola Tinubu administration for allegedly putting politics ahead of citizens’ safety.
He accused the government of being more interested in the 2027 general elections than in tackling the worsening insecurity across the country.
Ayokunle described the current leadership as “shameless and directionless,” saying Nigerians are being killed daily while those in power “look the other way.”
The cleric, who led CAN between 2016 and 2022, alleged that Christian communities in the Middle Belt have been attacked and displaced by armed groups who now occupy their lands.
Speaking in an interview with The Punch, he condemned what he called the government’s “deliberate inaction” on the continuous killings in Plateau, Benue, and Southern Kaduna.
He said the authorities’ silence was proof of complicity.
“They are only focused on how to win the 2027 election when they have not done the needful for 2025 and 2026,” Ayokunle said. “I don’t know why people can be so shameless about their non-performance, especially in the area of security. They are so preoccupied with 2027, instead of focusing on how to save people’s lives.”
The cleric described the attacks in the Middle Belt as “deliberate genocide,” challenging the government to deny it.
He recounted the killing of 21 people in Miango, Plateau State, most of them members of his church, and said security agencies did nothing despite being aware of the situation.
He dismissed claims that both Christians and Muslims are equal victims of the violence, describing the argument as “a lazy defence” meant to hide the government’s failures.
“Now they are coming up with statistics that more Muslims have been killed than Christians. From what research? This is a government that has not conducted a census in 40 years. It’s simply a lazy government that has lost direction,” he said.
Ayokunle accused successive governments of “playing politics with blood” and protecting those behind the attacks.
He supported recent warnings allegedly issued by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who reportedly said the U.S. might take military action if the killings continue.
“It is a wake-up call to our clueless government,” Ayokunle said. “If what is happening is embarrassing the international community, how come it’s not embarrassing our government? With all the military, police, DSS, and civil defence, what excuse do they have? Don’t dare Trump. He does everything he says he will do.”
When asked about the idea of foreign intervention, he said he would support it if it would bring peace.
“If that will give us peace, let it be. Nigerians just want to live freely in their own country. You cannot just stand in government like imbeciles doing nothing while people die daily.”
The former CAN leader also accused President Tinubu of double standards, recalling how he and other APC leaders once criticised ex-President Goodluck Jonathan over similar killings.
“Didn’t Tinubu and his allies, back in 2014, campaign and protest against Jonathan over these same killings, calling for international intervention?” he asked. “When it was convenient politically, they called it Christian persecution. Now they say it’s both Christians and Muslims. What has changed?”
Ayokunle warned that history would not be kind to leaders who value power over human life. “Is your personal ambition worth the shedding of innocent blood? That is the moral question before them. They will answer to God one day,” he said.
He urged the present CAN leadership to take a stronger stance on national issues, saying silence in the face of killings was unacceptable.
“If the National Executive Council of CAN feels the present leadership is not doing enough, let them speak out. Journalists should also demand answers from them,” he added.
Ayokunle concluded by saying the country’s reputation had suffered globally because of weak leadership and corruption.
“Disgraceful leaders will produce a nation of disgrace,” he stated, adding that the ongoing violence had turned Nigeria into a global embarrassment.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
