Professor Wole Soyinka has said that Nigeria’s crisis is a fight against extremists, not a Christian–Muslim war, faulting recent remarks by United States President Donald Trump, who described Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged persecution of Christians.
The Nobel laureate warned that such sweeping comments distort reality and risk worsening divisions among Nigerians.
Recall Trump had, earlier this month, threatened possible military action against Nigeria over alleged killings of Christians by radical Islamists.
The Federal Government dismissed the claim, maintaining that insecurity in Nigeria affects people of all faiths.
In an interview with Democracy Now, Soyinka said the situation in Nigeria should not be framed as a religious conflict but understood as a struggle against extremist groups that have turned religion into a political and economic weapon.
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“We must separate Nigeria’s long-standing internal problems from President Trump’s recent response. The Christian–Islam, or Islam-versus-the-rest dichotomy has existed for decades. It became truly horrendous when politics got mixed up with religious differences,” Soyinka said.
He blamed successive governments for exploiting religion for political gain and failing to hold extremists accountable, allowing impunity to persist.
Referring to the brutal lynching of a student accused of blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad, Soyinka lamented that her killers went unpunished despite being caught on video.
“When perpetrators of such horrors go free, it strengthens the perception that a brutal war is going on between Christians and Muslims. In truth, we are dealing with extremists, political Islamists, sometimes known as ISWAP or Boko Haram, not with Muslims as a people,” he noted.
Soyinka said extremist groups have formed ties with international terrorist networks and acquired weapons that often overpower Nigerian security forces. He blamed past administrations for not taking early action against violent fundamentalism.
“When we have sweeping statements like Trump’s, it doesn’t make things easier. It expands regions of hostility and makes peaceful resolution even more difficult,” he said.
On the reported revocation of his U.S. visa, Soyinka linked it to his criticism of Trump’s administration.
“I have a feeling that I haven’t been flattering Donald Trump, and I see no reason to do that,” he said, adding that Trump should feel “flattered” by his earlier comparison of him to former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.