Nigeria has been called the deadliest place to be a Christian, and that persecution continues to make headlines four years after a Religious Freedom Summit in Washington DC.
Archbishop Sunday Onuoha, founder of Vision Africa, calls for protection for children, engaging those with different views, and for global prayer and solidarity for persecuted Christians in Nigeria.
VIDEO SCRIPT
Christian Persecution in Nigeria
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Brownback: [00:00:00] That religious freedom is under assault, both, uh, domestically and abroad, and that we need to stand up and fight for it, that this is a fundamental human right. I believe it’s the cornerstone human right
Reporter: Nearly four years ago, the international religious community sponsored a summit in Washington, D.C. Former ambassador Sam Brownback met with faith leaders from around the world. Dr. Sunday Onuoha, founder and president of Vision Africa, asked the international community for help.
Onuoha: Nigeria has gone beyond the point of concern to a level of emergency
Reporter: Now an archbishop in the Methodist Church in Nigeria, he continues to press for safety for children.
At a recent educational event sponsored by Vision Africa, Archbishop Sunday called on his nation’s leadership to protect children
Onuoha: We are pleading with people in authority, we are pleading with our military, with our police, with our security agencies to [00:01:00] please protect our schools. Can our students say, “Protect our schools”?
Children: Protect our schools. Once again. Protect! Congratulations.
There’s no reason why our children, the bad people will come to the school and, uh, abduct our children from school, and disappear into the bush
Reporter: Nigeria has been called the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian. Four years after the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., Persecution of the Christian Church in Nigeria continues to make headlines around the world. For years, ministries of reconciliation have attempted to bring healing to the land
Onuoha: I feel pain to say that it looks like we make progress, we lose progress made. So it is like one step forwards, one step backward. We must find a way, an intentional way, of engaging people [00:02:00] who think that way. And our calling is to engage with those who do not think the way we think, who even think differently, and that was also part of our conversation with His Holiness Pope, uh, about a month ago, talking about our common humanity.
How can we bring people of various diverse groups together? Nigerian Christians are going through, are crucibles, are going through pain, are suffering, and are crying for help, and this is a time to stand with us. First and foremost, every Christian anywhere in the world should pray for those who are being persecuted, wherever they are, and Nigeria being one of those.
Uh, many families in many parts of the Northern Nigeria cannot profess their faith freely. And so I am glad that brothers and sisters all over the world are praying for us
Reporter: Reporting from Abia State, Nigeria, I am Sam Ebersole for Global News Alliance.
People Interviewed and their Titles
Sam Brownback, Ambassador
Sunday Onuoha, Archbishop and Founder of Vision Africa
Recording Location
Umuahia, Nigeria
Organization featured in this Story
Vision Africa
Reporter/Producer for the story
Sam Ebersole
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