Nigerian Priest Thanks Trump for Aiding Persecuted Christians
By Fr. Viktor Ekanem & Jason Jones
As Christians across the world pray for peace and justice in Nigeria, we write to thank President Donald J. Trump for his courageous decision to once again designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for egregious violations of religious freedom. This act of moral clarity has renewed hope among millions who have suffered under years of Islamist terror and government indifference. In this open letter, Nigerian priest Fr. Viktor Ekanem and I express our gratitude — and urge continued American leadership to defend the innocent, confront corruption, and advance lasting peace.
President Trump,
On behalf of Christians throughout the world, we thank you for shining a light on the terrible suffering of our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. Your decision to name Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for the second time, after a reversal under the Biden administration in 2021, was an act of courage and moral clarity that inspired millions.
For years, Nigerian Christians have been massacred, kidnapped, and terrorized by Islamist terrorist groups while much of the world looked away. You did not look away. You gave voice to the voiceless and reminded the world that defending religious freedom is not a partisan act but a universal moral duty.
As a Nigerian Catholic priest working on the front lines, and as an American advocate leading the Vulnerable People Project, we have both witnessed the horror of persecution and the heroism of faith. We have seen churches burned and children orphaned, but also the unshakable hope of a people who believe that love is stronger than fear.
Your leadership gives that hope new life. The CPC designation is not merely symbolic; it is a tool that can focus international attention, direct aid responsibly, and press Nigeria’s leaders to defend life, liberty, and the dignity of every person. For the sake of those whose lives hang in the balance, we offer these priorities.
1. Security and Protection for Vulnerable Communities
The bloodshed must stop.
Christians and other innocent civilians in northern and central Nigeria live under constant threat from Islamist terrorist movements such as Boko Haram, ISIS – West Africa, and allied extremist militias. These groups wage a campaign of extermination — burning villages, slaughtering families, kidnapping schoolchildren, and targeting churches during worship.
According to the 2024 UNHCR report, there are 3.5 million internally displaced persons, a number rising every day that this violence persists.
The CPC framework allows the United States to link security assistance to measurable civilian protection, encouraging local security initiatives that defend the innocent while maintaining accountability and respect for human rights.
Immediate steps such as providing protective gear, reliable communications, rapid-response coordination, and crisis-prevention training can save lives now. With the will to act and the oversight to ensure integrity, America can help stop the massacre of innocents and empower Nigerians to defend themselves.
2. Anti-Corruption Reform: The Foundation of Human Flourishing
Corruption is Nigeria’s silent war, and it kills as surely as bullets. Every stolen naira meant for hospitals, schools, or roads robs the poor of their future.
Through the CPC framework and the Global Magnitsky Act, the U.S. can target officials and networks that enable Islamist violence, stopping them from diverting aid, laundering funds, or turning a blind eye to atrocities. Transparency and accountability can ensure that resources reach hospitals and schools rather than the hands of warlords and bureaucrats.
As Fr. Viktor has witnessed, countless Nigerians die from preventable illnesses not because of fate but because corruption has stolen their care. Reform is an act of mercy. Where integrity takes root, life begins to flourish, and the influence of terrorists withers.
3. Education and Opportunity: The Antidote to Extremism
The most powerful weapon against Islamist radicalization is education.
When young Nigerians can read, think, and work, they cannot be easily manipulated by extremist recruiters or corrupt elites. Yet in many regions, the government’s failure — or deliberate neglect — to provide education leaves youth vulnerable to indoctrination and despair.
The CPC designation can support faith-based and community-run schools, vocational programs, and civic education initiatives that promote dignity, coexistence, and critical thinking. Educated youth are not foot soldiers for terror—they are citizens who can rebuild their nation.
4. Beyond Good Intentions
The U.S. must also act with humility and wisdom. Good intentions, if unmeasured, can do harm. Large-scale interventions have too often left behind an environment of dependency, displacement, and resentment.
American policy in Nigeria should be guided by local insight, rigorous accountability, and ongoing assessment of unintended consequences. Aid should empower communities to stand on their own, not bind them to new forms of dependency.
Consider the scale: the U.S. defense budget last year was $831 billion — nearly eight times Nigeria’s GDP of $187 billion — while Boko Haram’s active fighters number roughly 1,500. The problem is not capacity but will. With strategic, disciplined, and compassionate action, the U.S. can help end this campaign of terror.
A Call to Moral Leadership
Mr. President, you have already shown the courage to speak when others were silent. The CPC designation is a gift of moral leverage, and an opportunity to transform attention into protection and reform.
Nigeria stands at a crossroads. With principled American leadership, the nation can choose a future of integrity, security, and peace. Without your attentive action, Islamist terrorism and corruption will continue to devour the lives of the poor.
From the villages of Benue to the churches of Kaduna, millions pray not for pity but for justice — the right to live, worship, and work in peace.
May God bless you, President Trump, and may He bless all who stand with the persecuted.
With gratitude and prayer,
Fr. Viktor Ekanem
Catholic Priest, Director VPP Nigeria
Jason Jones
President, Vulnerable People Project
(reprinted with permission from Jason Jones Substack)
