FG Release Stats on Nigeria's Religious Diversity: "One of Most Faithful Nations on Earth"
- Federal Government releases new data on Nigeria’s religious composition amid U.S. threats over alleged Christian killings
- State House says Nigeria remains one of the world’s most religiously balanced nations, with near-equal Muslim and Christian populations
- Tinubu administration dismisses U.S. genocide claims as baseless and politically motivated, citing peaceful coexistence across faiths
The Federal Government has released new statistics highlighting Nigeria’s religious diversity, describing the country as “one of the most faithfully balanced nations on earth.”
The move follows growing tension between Abuja and Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump and his Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, accused Nigeria of permitting a “Christian genocide” and threatened possible military intervention.
Source: UGC
The data, published by the State House on its official social media pages, shows that Nigeria’s estimated 227 million citizens are almost equally split between Islam and Christianity.
The figures, drawn from Pew Research Center (2024), Afrobarometer (2023), and NOI Polls (2022), indicate that Muslims account for 50 to 51 percent of the population (around 113 to 116 million people), while Christians make up 47 to 48 percent (approximately 107 to 109 million).
Other faiths and traditional religions constitute two to three percent, with less than one percent unaffiliated.
Government pushes back against genocide claims
The release comes in the wake of U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s post on X, confirming that Washington was “preparing for action” in Nigeria.
He said the U.S. would not “stand by while innocent Christians are attacked,” echoing Trump’s earlier statement on Truth Social, where he vowed to “wipe out the Islamic terrorists” allegedly responsible for the violence.
Source: Twitter
In response, the Nigerian government dismissed the claims as unfounded. President Bola Tinubu insisted that the allegations of religious persecution were “politically motivated and detached from Nigeria’s reality.”
He maintained that freedom of worship remains a core pillar of the nation’s democracy and that both major faiths coexist peacefully across communities.
“Two great faiths, one shared destiny”
Accompanying the data, the State House post titled “Faith by the Numbers” described Nigeria as a rare global model where both Islam and Christianity grow side by side without dominance.
It stated that “even by 2050, Nigeria will remain home to two great faiths in near-equal strength, living, marrying, and coexisting together in every major city — a model of coexistence for the world.”
US should fix its own church shootings first
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian constitutional lawyer, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has faulted U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent claim of “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing it as hypocritical and misleading.
He said the United States should confront its own recurring gun violence in churches before interfering in Nigeria’s domestic affairs.
Obono-Obla, a former presidential aide, spoke in Calabar on Sunday, accusing the U.S. government of exploiting religion to advance a political agenda, Daily Trust reported.
He described Washington’s posture as “dubious diplomacy backed by arrogant militarism,” and warned that such narratives could undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty and unity.
Foreign ministry reacts to Trump's claim
Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigeria's Foreign ministry commented on the claim that Nigerian Christians were being killed in massive proportions.
According to the government ministry, the claim by the United States President Donald Trump did not reflect the reality on the ground.
US President Donald Trump claimed that there were widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
