Abuja – President Bola Tinubu has dismissed allegations of religious genocide in Nigeria, insisting that no faith is under attack in the country.
Speaking in Owerri, Imo State, on Tuesday during the launch of a book authored by Governor Hope Uzodimma to mark 10 years of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in power, Tinubu described the accusations as false and divisive.
“Here, no faith is under siege, no community is excluded. Our churches, mosques and traditional shrines stand side by side, not as rivals but as symbols of the unity that binds us,” Tinubu said at the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu Convention Centre. He urged Nigerians to resist external attempts to sow division, adding that unity remained the nation’s greatest strength.
The President also inaugurated key projects in Imo State, including the Owerri Mbaise Umahia road, the Assumpta Twin flyover and the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu Convention Centre.
Top political figures attended the event, among them APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, former party chairmen Adams Oshiomhole and Umar Ganduje, as well as governors from APC states and Abia State’s Governor Alex Otti. Leaders of parliament, former senate presidents, traditional authorities, religious leaders, members of the diplomatic corps and student bodies were also present.
Reflecting on the APC’s decade in government, Tinubu said the party had taken Nigeria away from collapse when it assumed power in 2015. He credited former President Muhammadu Buhari for laying foundations in infrastructure, security and public finance accountability, while acknowledging that mistakes were made along the way.
“APC may not be perfect, but we are purposeful. And we will not allow Nigeria to return to the wasted years of drift,” Tinubu declared.
He assured citizens that the South East, long concerned about marginalisation, was now central to Nigeria’s national rebirth under his administration’s “Renewed Hope” agenda. Regional development commissions, he said, were being created to bring services closer to the people while holding leaders accountable at all levels.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio praised Tinubu for initiatives such as the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said had allowed more disadvantaged youths to access higher education.
Governor Uzodimma, who is also the chairperson of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, thanked the President for increasing state allocations, which he said made infrastructure development and improvements in health and education possible. His book, A Decade of Leadership in Nigeria, documents the achievements of the ruling party over the past ten years.
Prof. Benett Chima Nwanguma reviewed the book during the event.
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