Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has lambasted the President Bola Tinubu-led administration for failing to protect Nigerians from widespread insecurity, poverty, and hardship.
In a statement on Saturday, November 1, Sowore said Nigeria should have long been designated a Country of Concern for its “persistent failure to protect its citizens.”
He accused the government of neglecting its constitutional duty to safeguard lives and property, adding that citizens across all regions have continued to suffer due to corruption and failed leadership.
“At every level, the state has failed to safeguard the vulnerable — Christians, Muslims, and traditional believers alike. Children, women, students, workers, and the elderly have all suffered under the weight of corruption and illegitimate leadership,” Sowore said.
Recognizing the plight of communities devastated by violence, Sowore lamented that Nigerians are enduring untold suffering amid hunger, displacement, and fear.
“I recognise the pain of the Christian communities in Benue, Plateau, Gombe, and Kaduna, who continue to face relentless attacks, just as the Muslim populations in Katsina, Zamfara, Borno, and Yobe also need protection from marauding killers,” he stated. “Across the nation, Nigerians whipped by hunger, poverty, and displacement cry out for safety and dignity.”
While acknowledging the significance of international attention, Sowore insisted that lasting change must come from within Nigeria.
“While international attention or special designations might bring temporary relief to some communities, the real solution lies within honest, courageous leadership that values human life and justice above politics,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to focus on building strong domestic leadership rather than depending on foreign intervention.
“Nigerians must understand that the true solution lies in real leadership, not in outside help. No foreign power can fix what corrupt and careless leaders have broken from within,” he warned.
Concluding his statement, Sowore emphasized that Nigeria’s redemption depends on visionary and accountable leadership.
“Our redemption will come from leaders who protect citizens, unite the people, and rebuild the nation from the ground up,” he said.
His comments came a day after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over the alleged persecution of Christians.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, stating that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” where “thousands of Christians are being killed by radical Islamists.”
“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — but that is the least of it,” Trump said, adding that he had directed U.S. lawmakers to investigate the situation and report their findings.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and other countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world,” Trump added.
