Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has finally responded to US President Donald Trump’s claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Wole Soyinka told Democracy Now that Trump’s broad claims misrepresent the conflict and could fuel religious tensions. He emphasized that the crisis is not a Christian-Muslim war, but a fight against extremist groups exploiting religion for political and economic advantage.
Wole Soyinka emphasized that Nigeria’s enduring internal issues should be viewed separately from President Trump’s recent comments. He noted that the Christian–Islam or Islam-versus-others divide has persisted for decades and worsened when politics became entangled with religion.
The nonagenarian added that political leaders exploited religious tensions for power and neglected to hold extremists accountable, fostering a culture of impunity.