Religious Freedom Takeaways on the Ground in Nigeria

Last month, USCIRF traveled to Abuja, Nigeria and met with Nigerian and U.S. government officials, religious communities, civil society representatives, and human rights defenders to assess religious freedom conditions and discuss threats facing Nigerians of a range of faiths and worldviews. The trip came following the U.S. State Department’s November 2021 decision to remove Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of international religious freedom after designating it as a CPC for the first time in 2020. Commissioner Fred Davie, who led that that USCIRF delegation, joins us today to discuss his key takeaways from the trip and insight into USCIRF’s continued recommendation of Nigeria as a CPC.  Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Nigeria With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFMadeline Vellturo, Policy AnalystDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF