US lawmaker Ted Cruz has accused President Bola Tinubu of using Nigeria’s resources to pay lobbyists to wage a public relation war against critics instead of responding to genuine concerns of alleged Christian genocide in his country.
Senator Cruz stated this in a post on X, alleging that “Nigerian officials have created an environment that facilitated mass violence against Christians and religious minorities by imposing blasphemy and Sharia laws and looking the other way at jihadist atrocities”.
According to him, “The U.S. government knows the Nigerian officials responsible for these policies, I have been pushing my bill to sanction them, and President Trump has even ordered military action.
He added, “Instead of responding to American concerns, Nigerian officials waged a public relations campaign against critics.
“They were confident in that campaign and in their ability to continue the status quo, and I am heartened that the House has just definitively proven them wrong.”
Cruz’s chastisement comes barely hours after Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga bandied a purported letter from President Donald Trump lauding Tinubu’s efforts in fighting Christian persecution in Nigeria.
Trump’s praise had also come as a surprise after the US House of Represntatives agreed to an amendment which could lead to the US withholding 100% of US aid to Nigeria until the country takes effective steps to protect Christians and respond to violence.
The legislation, which was introduced by Florida’s Gregory Stuebe, however requires approval by the US Senate before it can become law.
Recall that on January 14, The Gazette reported that Tinubu’s administration splurged $9 million on a Republican lobbyist in its effort to curry Washington’s favour, particularly to appease Mr Trump on plans to invade Nigeria to confront terrorists allegedly targeting Christians.
It was believed that the goal was to forestall the humiliation of his government with the 2027 elections looming.
Barely a month later, Chris Smith, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, and Riley Moore submitted a proposed bill, the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, to the U.S. House of Representatives, suggesting sanctions intended to force Tinubu’s government to take drastic steps to stop the alleged Christian persecution.
The Presidency had yet to respond to Mr Cruz’s latest swipe as at the time of filing this report.
The senator from Texas has been in the forefront in the campaign against alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.