Why do Nigerian and Ukrainian presidents sound so alike?

Presidents of Nigeria and Ukraine. Collage: UOJ

President Donald Trump has threatened military action against Nigeria over the Islamist terror targeting Christians. Defense Minister Pete Hegseth declared: “Either the Nigerian government protects Christians, or we will destroy the Islamic terrorists committing these horrific atrocities.”

And Hegseth is hardly exaggerating. Between 2019 and 2023, nearly 17,000 Christians were killed; in just the first seven months of 2025, over 7,000 more lost their lives. Since 2009, around 19,000 Christian churches have been destroyed or seriously damaged – an average of three per day.

Yet the reaction of the Nigerian authorities is striking. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated:
“Freedom of religion and tolerance have always been a cornerstone of our collective identity and will remain so. Nigeria stands against religious persecution and does not condone it.”

Sound familiar?

Here’s what President Zelensky told an American journalist about the UOC:
“Believers, their faith, their aspirations, and their churches have never been restricted by anyone. On the contrary, the state has always supported them, and they are very free.”

There’s no need to recall his repeated claims that Ukraine is practically an ideal of religious liberty.

True, believers and clergy of the UOC aren’t being killed – yet. They’re merely beaten brutally, have their teeth knocked out, their noses, jaws, arms, and legs broken. And churches aren’t destroyed – they’re simply seized.

But can one still claim that in Ukraine “people’s faith has never been restricted by anyone”?

Each of us can answer that question for ourselves.

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