₦airaland Forum

A fiery confrontation erupted on Piers Morgan’s programme on Tuesday as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, clashed with former Canadian lawmaker, Goldie Ghamari, over allegations of widespread persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Tuggar appeared on the show to counter claims of genocide, challenge statistics being circulated internationally, and provide what he described as a more accurate context to Nigeria’s security challenges.

Morgan opened the interview with figures from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which alleged that over 50,000 Christians had been killed since 2009 and more than 18,000 churches destroyed.

Tuggar dismissed the figures as inaccurate and challenged the religious framing, saying the government does not tally deaths by faith and views all victims as Nigerians first.

When pressed for Nigeria’s own data, Tuggar stated that only 177 Christians were killed and 102 churches were attacked over the last five years.

The interview turned even more confrontational when Morgan introduced Ghamari as a second guest.

Ghamari accused the Nigerian government of quietly enabling a “form of jihad”, drawing parallels between Nigeria’s insecurity and the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

She went further, alleging that the government’s inaction was ideologically motivated, citing the faith of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

She said, “By the way, this is a government that is working closely behind the scenes with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

You should ask the foreign minister why Nigerian school children are holding pictures of the Ayatollah, who is a brutal dictator and is murdering my people in Iran.

“People need to look into the linkages between the current Nigerian government and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"I was a politician for seven years, Piers, and I can tell when someone is lying and avoiding the truth. That’s exactly what this foreign minister is doing, and shame on him for lying."

Tuggar called Ghamari’s comments a display of ignorance and dismissed her speech as waffling.

He accused the former Canadian MP of sitting far away and treating the lives of Nigerians like a game.

On Tinubu and Shettima’s faith, the minister said Nigerians are more concerned with regional balance than religion. Tinubu is from the southern region, while Shettima hails from the north.

Asked by Morgan if he condemned the attack on Christians by Islamist militants, Tuggar replied in the affirmative.

The minister said, “I lost my father-in-law to an attack by an Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, so I myself I’m a victim. I’ve lost family members to attacks and they were Muslims.

"But it doesn’t matter whether they’re Muslim or Christian because their aim is to kill, to maim, so that they would achieve their objectives. And the number one enemy of Boko Haram is not a Christian. It is a Muslim who does not subscribe to their own brand of Islam.”

Morgan turned to Ghamari with the minister’s submission for a response. The politician said the killing of Muslims does not “negate the fact that there is a targeted ethnic cleansing of Christians in Nigeria.”

Tuggar said in response to Ghamari’s stand, “People like her trade in starting wars in faraway places where they have no contact, they have no understanding of, and they can do that from their armchairs from a safe distance. It’s a real-life situation.

“This lady would not know the difference between a Fulani man, a Tiv man, or an Igbo man if they stood in front of her.

“But you can see clearly overnight because it pays. She’s probably making money out of it. She is out there trying to start a war.

“They want to break up Nigeria the same way they broke up Sudan, and now they’ve run away. She’s not talking about Sudan anymore. She’s not talking about South Sudan. I bet she was one of those that was agitating for Sudan to be dismembered.

“This is what they do. This is what they try to do to Africa. Nigeria is the largest country on the African continent. It is the largest shock absorber to the African continent in terms of admitting migrants and in terms of freedom of religion. It’s Africa’s largest democracy.

“But people like you who don’t really care about freedoms, about the freedoms of either Christians or Muslims or Africans, will continue to agitate for the break-up of Nigeria for war, the same way that it’s happening in South Sudan, and you’ve kept mum because you’ve moved on.

“You don’t care about the loss of lives. For you, it’s just another black country to be broken up. You don’t care who dies.

“It’s not going to happen to Nigeria. Move on to your next project. You’re a disgrace. You’re a disgrace to the Canadian nation. I’m shocked that you say that you actually practice as a politician in Canada. Move on to the next episode. Leave us alone.”

Morgan ended the interview shortly afterwards.

Putindbutt:
I love Tinubu's team, dem dey burst my brain. No time for acting like a chicken before the western countries ( the grand sponsors of world's terrorism). I love how they have been looking these western bullies in the face and spittle at dem face. You can't accuse us as you accused South Africa of White genocide, you can't order us around like you did to Ramaphosa. This is Nigeria, let that sink into your head.
These guys are hypocrites, they don't give a sh!t whether you're a Christian or Muslim, they don't care about you. They only want Nigeria to play ball, having realized the President of Nigeria has not been warming up to them but rather to BRICS.
The same US that is now taking pictures with one of the most wanted terrorists who became the President of Syria just because he's ready to play ball. Two days ago, Saudi Prince was received to a dinner in the white house and Trump shamelessly told the world that the MBS had nothing to do with the death of Khashoggi.. can you believe that!. Just because the Saudi Prince is ready to play ball and invest trillion of dollars in US economy. I love how Tinubu and his men are giving these western hypocrites the middle finger.

She went further, alleging that the government’s inaction was ideologically motivated, citing the faith of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

Putindbutt:
I love Tinubu's team, dem dey burst my brain. No time for acting like a chicken before the western countries ( the grand sponsors of world's terrorism). I love how they have been looking these western bullies in the face and spittle at dem face. You can't accuse us as you accused South Africa of White genocide, you can't order us around like you did to Ramaphosa. This is Nigeria, let that sink into your head.
These guys are hypocrites, they don't give a sh!t whether you're a Christian or Muslim, they don't care about you. They only want Nigeria to play ball, having realized the President of Nigeria has not been warming up to them but rather to BRICS.
The same US that is now taking pictures with one of the most wanted terrorists who became the President of Syria just because he's ready to play ball. Two days ago, Saudi Prince was received to a dinner in the white house and Trump shamelessly told the world that the Saudi Authorities had nothing to do with the death of Khashoggi.. can you believe that!. Just because the Saudi Prince is ready to play ball and invest trillion of dollars in US economy. I love how Tinubu and his men are giving these western hypocrites the middle finger.

Putindbutt:
I love Tinubu's team, dem dey burst my brain. No time for acting like a chicken before the western countries ( the grand sponsors of world's terrorism). I love how they have been looking these western bullies in the face and spittle at dem face. You can't accuse us as you accused South Africa of White genocide, you can't order us around like you did to Ramaphosa. This is Nigeria, let that sink into your head.
These guys are hypocrites, they don't give a sh!t whether you're a Christian or Muslim, they don't care about you. They only want Nigeria to play ball, having realized the President of Nigeria has not been warming up to them but rather to BRICS.
The same US that is now taking pictures with one of the most wanted terrorists who became the President of Syria just because he's ready to play ball. Two days ago, Saudi Prince was received to a dinner in the white house and Trump shamelessly told the world that the Saudi Authorities had nothing to do with the death of Khashoggi.. can you believe that!. Just because the Saudi Prince is ready to play ball and invest trillion of dollars in US economy. I love how Tinubu and his men are giving these western hypocrites the middle finger.

owobokiri:
Giving "these western hypocrites the middle finger " by surrendering almost all of Nigerias offshore gas reserves to the same westerners!?

stanluiz:
But Tinubu send delegation to comprising of Military services Chiefs and diplomat to go and meet and Congressman in the house of Rep

Not Even Trump, Vance or Marc Rubio. But a Congressman

I can bet the he want to call trump but trump refuses to to talk to him.

WizardOfNG:
Hear, hear Tuggar. An eloquent, professional and dedicated diplomat I am proud of who does his job well.

coolcharm:
The world knows who the disgrace is.

owobokiri:
The whole fulani oligarchy and their southern slaves are totally enamoured by the cascade of events from the western world on Nigeria related issues.
All of a sudden, they are genuinely worried that their feeding bottles might be taken away from them...
Restless, they have become..

The north lived for many years on the assumption that their "friendship" with Britain/West, gives them an opportunity everlasting diplomatic edge/guarantee to lord themselves over others in Nigeria. That wrong impression basically turned them into a platoon of arrogant zenophobes.. Made them proclaim themselves as the "born to rule". Made them fell they're some sort of politically invisible beings...
It's unravelling.., at a great speed too.

In diplomacy, there are no permanent friends and certainly no permanent enemies. By their inability to reinvent themselves culturally to fit the demands of this century, the fulani stock has made itself an agent of destabilisation and a cause of ceaseless conflicts across the length and breath of sub saharan Africa. A thief hates noise. The fulani makes too much noise. That does not help the west to loot peacefully.., so they have to be discarded..

Morgan ended the interview shortly afterwards.

WizardOfNG:
Hear, hear Tuggar. An eloquent, professional and dedicated diplomat I am proud of who always does his job well.

One section in the article exposes how this Chamari lady, along with Trump and many others, is arrogantly dangerous, ignorant, repellent, vile and probably a racist who care little for Nigeria and what is in the best interest of the biggest black nation on Earth.



Can anyone see from the above the fundamental ignorance and malevolent folly of anyone who truly knows the reality of Nigeria and her people claiming Tinubu a Yoruba, married to a pastor and from the ethnic group cited as perhaps the most religiously tolerant in the world, being accused of inaction against "Christian genocide" because he is a Muslim with sympathy for Islamic fundamentalism?

They certainly have nefarious agendas for Nigeria but, as Tuggar declared, they will fail.

Morenikeji090:
God bless you that’s the fact some wack
People don’t understand

stanluiz:
But Tinubu send delegation to comprising of Military services Chiefs and diplomat to go and meet and Congressman in the house of Rep

Not Even Trump, Vance or Marc Rubio. But a Congressman

I can bet the he want to call trump but trump refuses to to talk to him.

WizardOfNG:
Hear, hear Tuggar. An eloquent, professional and dedicated diplomat I am proud of who always does his job well.

Pakute:
https://punchng.com/tuggar-ex-canadian-lawmaker-clash-over-nigerian-christian-genocide-allegations/

You don’t care about the loss of lives. For you, it’s just another black country to be broken up. You don’t care who dies.

slivertongue:
Tuggar idisgraced himself. He couldn't refute her data with superior information instead he tried the nonsense they do here, run around circles then throw insults

She went further, alleging that the government’s inaction was ideologically motivated, citing the faith of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

WizardOfNG:
It is the lady that disgraced herself with her wholesale ignorance of Nigeria and her composition. Imagine touting the redundant garbage, totally at odds with the reality of Nigeria , that Tinubu is a tacit backer of "Christian genocide" in Nigeria because he is Muslim and ,ostensibly, every Nigerian Muslim naturally backs "Christian genocide".

Is that not repellent Islamophobia and shameless bigotry unfair to Yoruba Muslims that Tinubu, with a Pastor wife and children, is?



To you, she is right with her claim above that Tinubu has "ideologically motivated" support for "Christian genocide" ba? You lot have no shame nor conscience at all

These people are acting like a bloodthirsty mob in an Ancient Arena in Rome wishing to see the blood of others spilled for their own perverse pleasure and the "weapons of Mass destruction" type of lies they used to destroy Iraq has begun to flow like waters from a tap.

It really is not hard to denote what some claim is "marginalisation" is actually the suspicion of many Nigerians over putting Nigeria in the hands of those who always wish to add petrol, to make the fire bigger and more destructive, everytime Nigeria is troubled or threatened.

Much like Kanu, thankfully now jailed for life, demanding chaos and destruction everywhere during #EndSARS.

May God save Nigeria from enemies-within who justify the saying Nigeria does not need enemies with your sort as "Nigerians".

slivertongue:
The Minister lied on 177 killed even in yelwata 278 were killed in a day not to talk of the span of years he mentioned. Nigeria has gone beyond the narratives of the likes of Tuggar.

WizardOfNG:
Keep fooling yourself because you desperately wish destruction on the "Zoo" you hate passionately. USA has already spoken about formally cooperating with Nigeria to form an action committee to deliver solutions ove the killings in Nigeria.

I know you and your ilk are desperately sad no "invasion" is being discussed currently but you will also have the bigger displeasure and frustration, as enemies of Nigeria's progress, watching as our nation gradually overcomes her problems.

Pakute:
https://punchng.com/tuggar-ex-canadian-lawmaker-clash-over-nigerian-christian-genocide-allegations/

owobokiri:
Giving "these western hypocrites the middle finger " by surrendering almost all of Nigerias offshore gas reserves to the same westerners!?

Ttalk:
This is not about eloquence or being smart, it is ability to admit weakness.

Denying that there's no genocide will not help this government and could eventually destroy it if not properly managed.

Nigeria should think.

During protest, the north carried Russian flag and what does that tells you, that they need some form of foreign support.

During Buhari regime, he emphatically pointed out that all foreign aids should be channel to the north.

The North has always curry the favour from foreign countries, they established a foreign bank in Nigeria where the have access to interest free loan.

Suddenly, the north no longer want foreign countries to intervene in her matter when the issue of killings of majorly Christian and Muslims that don't subscribe to their ideology.

What's is the fear of the north all about?

Reminisce about event that led to the truncation of Ghaddafi regime, he has opportunity to resolve the crisis at the initial stage but was misled to remain adamant.

Today, the terrorist and Jihadist are pressing further and the military are getting weaker, it is just a matter of time.

Think of it, if the terrorist can carryout 2 successive operation in a week, they can as well carry out 50 operations in different location at a time. Do you want us to get to this situation where the UN security council will authorized the world power to take out the government and restore peace?

Think?

Who interest or ego do Nigeria protecting by downplaying what is happening presently?

Think?

Do you sincerely believe this killing can be eliminated by any Nigeria government and milliary.?

What will eventually happen if the killing continue?


This. Is not about Tinubu government, it is about rescue the soul of the captives and saving the soul of those who will face the gory fate in the future.

If this government doesn't act now, it will regret it in years to come