Former US President Donald Trump meets with President Muhammadu Buhari in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, April 30, 2018, in Washington.
Eko Hot Blog reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has recounted his private meeting at the White House with former President of the United States, Donald Trump.
The President spoke at Nouakchott, Mauritania, Tuesday, while meeting with Rashad Hussain, United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.
According to the Nigerian leader, Trump asked him: “why are you killing Christians in Nigeria?”
Buhari also recalled how he proceeded to tell Trump that the issue in Nigeria was not religious, but rather criminal, and a usage of religion by some elements to further their economic, and sometimes, political interests.
The president noted that some people hide under the canopy of religion to advance their economic and political agenda, and continuous education is needed so that the larger populace would not be hoodwinked.
Former US President Donald Trump puts away his notes as he meets with President Muhammadu Buhari in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, April 30, 2018, in Washington.
“It’s a problem Nigeria has been struggling with for a long time, and it is completely unnecessary,” a statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, quoted Buhari as saying.
“Some people use religion as sentiment, but with adequate education, people are seeing through it now. Majority of the people just want to practice their religion without problem, but some people cash in on religious misunderstanding for their own ends.
“When people are educated, they are able to discern when others want to use religion for certain ends. They do it mostly for material reasons.
“Also, when some people are incompetent, they bring in all sorts of excuses, including religion.”
Ambassador Hussain said the US is interested in partnering with Nigeria in the areas of formal and non-formal education, towards religious harmony.
“There’s so much we can do together to promote peace, promote communal harmony. We love what you are doing, and we would be glad to assist as appropriate,” he said.
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