….’Jonathan’s Excuses to Nigerians Means Failure, He Should Resign’ — Tinubu
As allegations of a widespread ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria continue to intensify, a 2014 statement by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemning former President Goodluck Jonathan for failing to protect Christian worshippers has resurfaced, prompting renewed debates over leadership accountability and government responsibility in the face of religiously motivated violence.
In January 2014, Tinubu, then a leading opposition figure, publicly criticized Jonathan’s administration for its handling of attacks by Boko Haram, particularly in Borno and Adamawa States. The Islamist militant group had targeted Christian communities in a series of brutal assaults, raising questions about the federal government’s ability to protect vulnerable populations.
“The slaughtering of Christian worshippers is strongly condemnable. It calls into question the competence of Jonathan to protect Nigerians,” Tinubu stated at the time, framing the violence not only as a humanitarian crisis but as a direct challenge to the legitimacy of the Jonathan administration.
By April 2014, following the deadly Nyanya bombing in Abuja that killed dozens of commuters and intensified fears across the country, Tinubu’s criticism became more pointed. “My heart bleeds for our people and the country over the deaths in Nyanya. A government unable to protect its citizens deserves to be queried,” he declared, underscoring what he described as the president’s non-negotiable duty to ensure citizen safety.
Fast forward eleven years, and Tinubu’s words are being cited with renewed vigor amid reports of a fresh wave of violence targeting Christian communities across northern and central Nigeria. According to a recent report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), at least 7,087 Christians were killed in the first 220 days of 2025 alone—an average of 32 deaths per day.
Advocacy organizations such as Open Doors and International Christian Concern have characterized the attacks, perpetrated by Islamist militants including Boko Haram and Fulani extremists, as targeted persecution amounting to genocide. These groups report not only thousands of deaths but also widespread displacement and abductions, leaving Christian communities particularly vulnerable in regions already destabilized by insecurity.
The Nigerian government, however, has consistently denied that religious targeting is taking place. Officials insist that the violence stems from broader security challenges, including clashes over land, resources, and local political grievances, rather than any deliberate campaign against Christians. Nonetheless, critics argue that the scale and consistency of attacks against Christian populations suggest a pattern of neglect or complicity.
The crisis gained renewed international attention on October 31, 2025, when U.S. President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over what he described as an “existential threat” to Christianity. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated: “Thousands of Christians are being killed by radical Islamists in Nigeria… The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening.”
Trump further urged Congress to launch investigations and affirmed the United States’ readiness to intervene in the protection of global Christian populations. U.S. lawmakers such as Senator Ted Cruz have echoed this framing, explicitly describing the violence as a form of “religious genocide.”
In Nigeria, opposition figures and faith-based organizations have used Tinubu’s 2014 rhetoric to demand urgent action from the current administration. They argue that the same standards of accountability Tinubu applied to Jonathan now apply to him, pointing out that his earlier condemnation highlighted the government’s duty to protect citizens irrespective of their religious affiliation.
Security experts caution that the violence is multidimensional. While religious persecution is a critical component, factors such as ethnic tension, land disputes, and socioeconomic inequality also fuel the conflict. Nonetheless, they warn that the government’s failure to prevent attacks specifically targeting Christians risks deepening social distrust and undermining the credibility of federal institutions.
Analysts note that the parallels between the 2014 and 2025 crises are striking. In both cases, Islamist militants carried out violent attacks on communities with little effective intervention from federal authorities. In both instances, the lack of protection for vulnerable citizens has become a flashpoint for political and international criticism.
Despite the mounting scrutiny, the Tinubu administration has yet to formally respond to either the revived 2014 criticisms or Trump’s designation. Civil society organizations continue to call for transparent investigations, urgent security interventions, and policies that address the systemic vulnerabilities that allow targeted violence to persist.
Faith leaders in affected regions have also added their voices to the debate. Some argue that government inaction has emboldened militants and signaled to communities that their lives are less valued, while others emphasize the need for dialogue, reconciliation, and long-term strategies to restore security and trust.
Meanwhile, the international community watches closely. Human rights observers warn that continued inaction may invite external pressure and potential sanctions, particularly if the scale of Christian deaths and displacements continues to rise. Past patterns suggest that timely government response and accountability mechanisms are crucial to preventing further escalation and averting a broader humanitarian crisis.
In summary, the resurfacing of Tinubu’s 2014 statements serves as both a historical reminder and a political challenge. Critics argue that leadership is measured not by rhetoric alone, but by tangible action in protecting citizens and upholding human rights. As Nigeria grapples with what many are calling a modern wave of targeted violence, the question of government accountability looms larger than ever.
‘Jonathan’s Excuses to Nigerians Means Failure, He Should Resign’ — Tinubu
National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said President Goodluck Jonathan has admitted his alleged inability to continue to preside over the affairs of the nation through his persistent excuses to Nigerians, therefore insisted that the President should resign.
The APC leader who also poured encomium on two-time former governor of old Bendel state, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia who was at the event, asserted that the former Governor is “one leader whose charity is always at home. You believe in Edo state, you believe in your people, not politics of deception and sharing the bounties of corruption. You believe in physical development and morality and that is what we are seeing today in Edo”.
Declaring that the Jonathan’s administration is a failure, Asiwaju stated that “A nation fails because of the leadership failures, if there is a good leader at the top, a nation will not fail. Because the fish start getting rotten from the head. The poverty, insecurity, unemployment which we are witnessing today in this country is because the head has failed.
“Let them stop giving us excuses that Boko Haram is in my government, fish them out. That we have saboteurs in the military, you are admitting failure. No excuse of failure, Mr President we chose you to lead this country, resign if you cannot enough of the excuses” he declared.
Commending Oshiomhole for the infrastructural development, he notated that “many people like you would have fell into the temptation of naira and kobo. But you stood for the progress of Edo state. We share in common the determination to make progress, you had the opportunity to be in labour party, you had that option clearly, but you chose to be with the progressives that you know.
