Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has explained the reason behind the allegation that there is a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.

Fani-Kayode claimed that the renewed Western focus on “Christian persecution” in Nigeria was a deliberate effort to punish the country for condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza during a recent United Nations session.

He questioned the sudden concern of Western countries over the plight of Nigerian Christians, alleging that their interest was not genuine but part of a larger strategy.

In a statement titled “The Fiction of Christian Genocide and the Conspiracy Against Nigeria” posted on X on Sunday, Fani-Kayode said recent comments by American figures and Western institutions, claiming that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria, were politically motivated and aimed at inciting religious tension.

Fani-Kayode commended Nigeria’s stance at the UN, describing it as “our proudest moment and finest hour” for standing up for the Palestinian people and supporting a two-state solution.

He added that the current Western backlash was “the price Nigeria is paying for standing up for humanity.”

Fani-Kayode said: “The second point to grasp is that the reason that they are now all talking about Nigeria and what they have labelled as ‘Christian genocide’ is not because they love Nigeria or care about Nigerian Christians but because they want to shift the world’s attention away from Gaza and focus it on Nigeria.
They also want to punish us for taking a bold stand at the United Nations against the genocide that the Israelis have unleashed on Gaza, which they are supporting and funding.
Standing up for humanity: that is our ‘crime’ and I, for one, as a Nigerian, make no apology for it.”