By Fola James
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has hired firms in the United states and United Kingdom to discredit Nigeria, the presidency has said.
But the government has urged both Nigerians and the international community not to believe, what it described as a divisive campaign by the Nnamdi Kanu led body.
Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
The presidential spokesman said IPOB spends at least $85000 monthly on the campaign of calumny to discredit the administration of President Buhari.
Shehu stated that the campaign involves the use of published articles in collaboration with some Christian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and a US lobbying firm, which he said had been sending letters to the US Congress on the genocide claim.
He said it is unfortunate that the US government believed lies being peddled by IPOB that Christians are being killed and persecuted in the country.
IPOB, he stated has recently being lobbying top US government and congress officials to pay a visit to the country on the matter.
According to the statement “Nigerians and the international community are advised to be wary of this divisive campaign, which available evidence shows is being funded with a monthly spending of $85,000 since October 2019, with no records of the source of this largesse.
The campaign consists of producing articles in the names of the alleged Christian NGOs’ leaders (of campaign groups created at the time this PR contract with a US lobbying firm was signed) and letters to and from members of Congress to the White House.”
The allegation that Christians are being killed, he said in not true.
He said it’s “Unfortunately, some members of Congress have clearly been persuaded there is indeed a ‘Christian persecution’ underway in Nigeria – and do so quoting the campaign – and they are known to be taking up the case directly with the White House to appoint the special envoy.”
He stated that the alleged “genocide” against Christians is meant “to drive a wedge between the Nigerian government and its US and UK/European allies.”
Shehu further explained that some European nations have already bought into the false campaign IPOB is mounting against the federal government, while some Christian NGOs in the said countries are providing moral and financial support for the Biafra group.
He said “There is also a UK and European angle of the campaign, which is more opaque than its US sister campaign – given there is less legal requirement for public filings – but what is known of this at the moment is that their budget is sufficient to hire four PR firms in the UK, Belgium, France and the US (the latter additional to the above).
Members of the alleged Christian NGO have had multiple Op-ed articles in conservative news websites promulgating their message of a “Christian genocide”. Some of those articles have also been used as “evidence” in the sister US campaign.
Two of those conservative news websites were co-founded by the owner of the UK PR firm they have hired to generate their publicity as well as an OP-ed article in the name of a British MP who may have been convinced by their campaign under false pretenses.
They have secured additional coverage in France, EU and Germany. They secured a MPs debate on the ‘Christian genocide’ in the House of Commons in which staff member of the UK PR was referenced as the “private secretary” to the leader of the UK-based Charity.”
Meanwhile, Garba has also denied claims that the reason why President Buhari has yet to confirm Justice Monica Dongbam-Mensem as President, Court of Appeal, is because of her religious inclination as a christian.
He said the president cannot be blackmailed over the issue of appointment.
