President Trump, Appoint a U.S. Special Envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region – Christian Coalition

January 27, 2020

(POTUS Letter Regarding Special Envoy for Nigeria and Lake Chad Region – Save the Persecuted Christians.)

Hon. Donald J. Trump,
The White House,
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As you have rightly made the protection of religious freedom a priority for your administration, we write to urge you to act immediately to prevent the further escalation of one of the most ominous threats to this fundamental liberty – the genocidal assault on Christians in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region. You and your predecessors have appointed special envoys to address critical problems in the past. We call upon you to do so in this case in the hope of staving off a currently unfolding disaster of that region, for Africa and for the world.

It has been well-documented that Christians and other minorities in Nigeria and neighboring countries have been subjected to growing, often murderous violence for years – including during the just-concluded Christmas season. (Attached is a summary of the carnage that has been inflicted in Nigeria in just the past few weeks.) The mounting genocide in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region is being perpetrated by groups like Boko Haram, the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) and Fulani herdsmen terrorist militia. The government of Nigeria has done little to stop the violence and bloodletting.

The implications of this crisis extend far beyond Nigeria. Its potential implosion may result in a gargantuan bloodbath and send millions of refugees to nations near-and-far unprepared to support them. In a December 20, 2019 article, an acclaimed international religious freedom advocate Bernard-Henri Levy warned:

“I have a terrible feeling of being carried back to Rwanda in the 1990s, to Darfur and South Sudan in the 2000s. Will the West let history repeat itself in Nigeria? Will we wait, as usual until the disaster is done, before taking notice? Will we stand by as international Islamic extremism opens a new front across this vast land, where the children of Abraham have coexisted for so long?

We urge you to impress upon President Buhari and his government how important this is to the United States and other nations.

We consider the stakes in this matter, both for our own country and for our vital interests around the world, to be sufficiently great that you should appoint a prominent and highly respected champion of religious freedom as your Special Envoy to bring a redoubled effort to monitoring the situation on the ground in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region and, even more important, to forge and execute an appropriate U.S. strategy for ameliorating it.

Sincerely,

1) Frank Wolf, Member of Congress 1981-2014, retired

2) Stephen Enada, President, International Committee on Nigeria

3) Dr. Sayo Ajiboye, President, Redeemer Bible College, RCCG

4) Frank J. Gaffney, President and CEO, Save the Persecuted Christians

5) Dede Laugesen, Executive Director, Save the Persecuted Christians

6) Kevin Jessip, Chairman, Save the Persecuted Christians

7) Archbishop and Primate, Foley Beach, Anglican Church in North America

8) Dr. Gloria Puldu, Director, Leah Foundation

9) Travis Weber, Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs, Director of the Center for Religious Liberty, Family Research Council

10) Faith McDonnell, Director, International Religious Liberty Program, Institute on Religion & Democracy

11) Jorge Parrott, President, Christ’s Mandate for Missions

12) Charmaine Hedding, President, Shai Fund

13) Juliana Taimoorazy, President, Iraqi Christian Relief Council

14) Rev. Dr. Art Lindsley, Vice-President, Theological Initiatives, Institute for Faith, Work & Economics

15) Terwase Orbunde, National Coordinator, Prayerforced Interventions Initiative

16) Dr. Agorom Dike, President, Caribbean and African Faithbased Leadership Conference

17) Rev. Prof Bauta Motty, ECWA SEMINAR, JOS

18) Omer Kanat, Executive Director, Uyghur Human Rights Project

19) Roxann Moss, Director of Administration, Christians in Crisis

20) Scott Morgan, Red Eagle Enterprises

21) Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, CEO & President, Boat People SOS – Religious Freedom Project

22) Helen Ngo, President, Committee for Religious Freedom in Vietnam

23) Dr. Quoc-Hung Tran, Director, Office of External Affairs, Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam

24) Emmanuel Ogebe, Managing Partner, US Nigeria Law Group

25) Valle, President, CAP Liberte de Conscience

26) Hanh Thai-Tang, Vice Exterior Affair, Junior Sacerdotal Council of Caodai

27) Timothy Hall, Senior Fellow, Religious Freedom Institute

28) Dr. Fabong Jemchang Yidam, Plateau Youth Council

29) Dr. S. Bryan Hickox, President & CEO, Bryan Hickox Pictures, Inc

30) Elizabeth Yore, esq., YoreChildren

31) Daniel John Emig, Consultant, Frontier Partners International

32) Suzanne Scholte, President, Defense Forum Foundation

33) Rudolph Atallah, CEO, White Mountain Research, Inc.

34) Teri Moy, Co-Founder, The Blessings Project

35) Dr. Manasseh Allen, Impact Trust International

36) Prof. Charles Adeyinka Adisa, Abia State University

37) Abdallah Balkie, International Organization for Peace and Social Justice

38) Tony Nnadi, Secretary-General, Lower Niger Congress (LNC)

39) Hon. (Arc.) Eniye Mason Braide, Africa Mandate

40) Gyang Zi, esq., National Legal Advisor, Berom Educational and Cultural Organization (BECO)

41) Rev. Polycarp Gbaja, Stride Leadership Foundation

42) Sharon Jones, CEO, The Good Friday National Holiday Campaign

43) Engr. Samuel Agbai, Word Fire and Refiners Assembly

44) Dr. Pogu Bitrus, President, Middle Belt Forum

45) Uchenna Ugah, Scotiabank

46) Joseph Ndirang, Evangelist, Kingdom Life Christian Mission International

47) Dr. Barr Innocent Ekwu, President, Association of Gospel Ministers of Nigeria, Inc

48) Rev. Antonio Aquino, Global President, The Interfaith Dialogue Table

49) Francis Igboke, Medical

50) Lawrence Chijoke Caleb-Uttah, CEO, Boaneges Project Resources Nig., Ltd

51) Engr. Daniel Kadzai, National Youth President, Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians

52) George Parker, Executive Director, Revealing Light Ministries

53) Cyril Obasiu, Public Servant

54) Prophet Israel C. Nzeadi, GO, Word and Praise Miracle Ministry

55) Tur Amishe Gideon, President, Christian Youth Peace and Reconciliation Movement

56) Dr. Jin Shin, President, Institute for Peace Affairs & Co-Chair, International Alliance of Religious Freedom for North Korea

57) Linda Harvey, President, Mission America

58) Frank Seignious, President & Founder, Doulos Disciples – World Wide

59) Samuel Gyang Dusu, Legal Practitioner, Samuel Dusus & Co.

60) Chief Akachukwu Ubesie, Akachukwu Power Nig. Limited

61) Yusuf Benedict Garba, Lecturer, Adamawa State Polytechnic, Yola

62) Michael Ricky Hendricks, Every Nation Church South Africa

63) Valle, President, CAP Liberte de Conscience

64) Dr. Sharon Kroner, CEO, Freedom of Religion – United Solutions (FOR-US)

65) Eunice Onwuamaegbu, Oversea Fellowship of Nigeria Christians

66) Ellen Grigsby, Director of Institutional Partnerships, Open Doors USA

67) David Pool, Pastor, Grace Church

68) Joshua Menang, Rose Hospital

69) Caroline Adebayo, Oversea Fellowship of Nigerian Christians

70) Patrick R Carberry, Founder, Joshuacord

71) Betide Saltzberg, A Mindful Approach

72) Gideon Simon Ghajiga, World Merchandise Services Limited

73) Lindsay Vessey, Director of Development & Advocacy, Coptic Solidarity

74) Dr. Ayuba Lawan, Langley House Trust

75) Michael L. Parks, CEO, Frontier Partners International

76) Catherine Williams, New Heights Christian Church

77) Matthew Maduwuba Mbanaja, Bilie Human Rights Initiative

78) Peggy Littleton, Director of Western Region, ReadyOp

79) Barbara Bender, Church of California

80) Theodore Ezeobi, Knowledge Education Empowerment for All Foundation

81) Wisdom Edmond Kwati, President, Wisdom Kwati Foundation

82) Rev. Douglas Betts, Big Squeeze Entertainment Corp.

83) Christopher French, Minister, The Hub

84) Jenny Noyes, Executive Director, New Wineskins Missionary Network

85) Patricia W. Streeter, Co-director, Anglican Persecuted Church Network

86) Olubunmi Jinadu, Founder, Licensed 2 Heal

87) Stefania Della Santa, Missionary, Associazione Missionaria L’ONDA

88) Dr. Frances Holden, CMM Theology Fort Mill, SC

89) Rev. Mark Edwards, President, Make Ministries

90) Olayinka Fagbuaro, CEO, Costridot International, Ltd

91) Lorri Dresbach, Founder, 3D Inspiration Foundation

92) Terri Marrow, Carenet

93) Daniel Oluwasegun Olubi, Pastor, Christ Empowerment

94) Jan-Willem Meijer, Foundation JustGo4It

95) Satoshi Nishihata, Washington Bureau Chief, Happy Science USA Washington Bureau

96) Oluwatoyin Akinbola, Masterpiece Production, Ltd

97) Okechukwu Ifeanyi Okonkwo, CEO, Iktjano & Cedarshill Ventures

98) Adebayo Idowu, Elder, Christ Apostolic Church

99) Rev. Ruth Acquaroli, The Bridge

100) Pastor Osarhiaekhimen Chinedu Amarachi, God’s Manifest Mission Abuja

101) Dr. Felix Oyari, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada ABUJA

102) Ben Irabor, Lead Pastor, Citadel of Grace Christian Center

103) Yusufu Adamu Mamza, Barrister, Liberty Harbingers Network

104) Mark Abers, Church Servant International, Inc.

105) Livingstone Chieke, Managing Partner, Cyndastone Synergies Ltd

106) Folaranmi Nathaniel Olatunji, Assistant Pastor, The Father’s Church Abuja

107) Kehinde Fayanju, Afenifere Renewal Group

108) Dr. Pat Habtemichael, Founder, Believers Dominion Ministries

INDIVIDUALS:

1) Mr. Richard Yakubu Bokko

2) Mr. Migi Zira

3) Sir James Burke

4) Mrs. Ann Dieterich

5) Ms. Marianne Strenger

6) Mr. Dennis Hallisey

7) Mr. Mikkie du Toit

8) Mr. John Bynum

9) Ms. Jamie Tinkle

10) Ms. Carol A. Knapp

11) Mrs. Leasha McCoy

12) Prof. Emeritus John Palmer

13) Mr. Robert Winn

14) Ms. Barbee Eckenrode

15) Ms. Pamela E Edwards

16) Mrs. Conni Leonessa

17) Mrs. Cris Bull

18) Mrs. Pauline Wbh

19) Dr. Olasunkanmi Othniel Adebayo

20) Ms. Mellany McKenzie

21) Ms. Elaine Papp

22) Ms. Cindy Capps

23) Ms. Lisa Ritchie

24) Ms. Becky Strong

25) Ms. Janeen Jewett

26) Mr. P. Miland

27) Ms. Leslie C. Holmex

28) Ms. Patricia W. Streeter

29) Mrs. Ann Dieterich

30) Mr. Tolu Jinadu

31) Ms. Maria Ramirez

32) Mr. Miguel Ramirez

33) Ms. Catharine Trauernicht

 

This will set the basis for US Decisive Action on Nigeria.