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A public affairs analyst, Majeed Dahiru, says President Bola Tinubu cannot be accused of religious bigotry.

Dahiru, who spoke as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, explained that Tinubu in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief, has mobilised the military to tackle security threats within two years in office.

“President Tinubu has not by any sense of imagination been accused of religious bigotry or having sympathy with Islamist jihadist terror groups,” he said.

“Absolutely not. You can criticise him for every other thing but nobody can actually criticise him for this because he does not qualify for such criticism.

“That alone is something to bargain to say, ‘Look, I am the President of this country. I am the Commander-in-Chief. There is no way I will preside over a country and sit idly and allow, encourage the killings of Christians,” Dahiru stated.

He, however, noted that while some Christians were being killed in parts of the country, there had been gains recorded in the fight against insurgency.

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Trump’s Claims

On October 31, United States President Donald Trump said Christianity faced an existential threat in Nigeria, describing the alleged killing as a “mass slaughter”.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed.

“Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote.

The US president added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening” and directed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to investigate the matter.

“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’ But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!

“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me.

“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” Trump wrote.

The Lagos State Government has announced plans to launch the second phase of the ‘Ounje Eko’ Farmers’ Subsidy Programme before the end of November this year to support farmers across the state and ensure they have access to quality feed to boost their production.

This was announced by the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, during a press conference at Alausa, Ikeja.

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The commissioner said the programme was a critical intervention of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration aimed at sustaining food production, empowering farmers, and stabilising food prices across Lagos, particularly during the yuletide season.

Olusanya added that the results of the first phase of the subsidy programme launched earlier this year were resounding, as over 5,000 farmers benefited directly from the intervention.

The commissioner also said that over 993.3 metric tons of poultry feed and 265.65 metric tons of fish feed were supplied.

According to her, the programme sustained the production of 258,000-layer birds, resulting in over seven million eggs produced and 177,100 catfish.

Egg prices, she said, dropped from ₦6,000 per crate to between ₦5,000 and ₦5,400.

Olusanya stated that building on this success, Governor Sanwo-Olu approved the implementation of the ‘Ounje Eko’ Farmers’ Subsidy Programme Phase II, expanding its reach and scope to provide greater impact and support to farmers across different value chains.

The commissioner further explained that phase two would include interventions like a 25 per cent subsidy on poultry feed layer mash, broiler starter and finisher
25 per cent subsidy on fish feed.

Others are free distribution of grains to pig farmers across the state to support livestock nutrition and sustainability, and distribution of agricultural equipment and inputs to crop farming clusters across the state to enhance mechanisation and reduce manual labour.

She emphasised that the programme would cut across 10 locations in the state, including Farm Service Centre, Agege; Agricultural Training Institute, Araga; Epe Coconut House, Mowo; Badagry Fish Farm Estate, Odongunyan, Ikorodu; Erikorodo Poultry Estate, Ikorodu; Aiyedoto Poultry Estate, Ojo; Ministry of Agriculture Cooperative Office, Ajah; and the Armed Forces Resettlement Centre.

As with the first phase, the commissioner explained that participation will be restricted to recognised and registered farmer associations such as the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter (PAN-LAG), Lagos State Catfish Allied Farmers Association of Nigeria (LASCAFAN) and Farm Estate and Settlement Associations to ensure transparency and accountability.

The state government advised farmers to register with the necessary associations to benefit from this support.