The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the North, Rev. Yakubu Pam, has stated that Christians in northern Nigeria have experienced improved conditions under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. He noted a significant decline in incidents of Christian persecution since Tinubu assumed office in 2023.
Pam made these remarks during an appearance on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. While acknowledging that persecution has not been entirely eradicated, he emphasized that its frequency has reduced substantially.
“There’s still persecution of Christians going on. It is relatively better under this administration, but it is still ongoing. I’m not saying it has stopped, but it’s much better,” Pam said.
He highlighted key areas of improvement, including a decrease in discrimination against Christians seeking to purchase land for church buildings and a reduction in cases of forced conversions and marriages involving young Christian girls.
Pam reiterated these concerns at a press conference in Kaduna, where he previously addressed challenges such as land restrictions for church construction and cases of coerced religious conversions.
Despite initial reservations regarding Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, the CAN chairman commended the president for fostering inclusive governance. Speaking after a meeting of the Northern CAN National Executive Committee (NEC) on Saturday, January 25, he underscored the importance of representation in government.
“For me, the most important thing is an inclusive government. Even with the Muslim-Muslim ticket, we have seen reasonable inclusiveness,” Pam said.
He further emphasized that Northern Christians should be considered for the vice-presidential position in 2027 if President Tinubu decides to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima in the next election cycle.
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