The coalition of Christian youths comprising the Odua Youths Democrats Congress, Middle Belt Youths Vanguard & Progressive Congress, Concerned Christian Youths Forum, and the South East Congress for National Development has strongly condemned Daniel Bwala, a presidential aide, “for misrepresenting CAN’s position on the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.” The group called Bwala a traitor and traducer.

Coalition leaders Richard Light, Chima Chukwu, Paul James, Innocent Bawa, and Enoch Kela berated Bwala during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. Their written statement entitled DANIEL BWALA, A TRAITOR Or A TRADUCER, reads:

"The entire Christian community in Nigeria and all lovers of truth and justice are appalled by the false narrative being mischievously peddled by the special adviser to the president on media and policy communication, Daniel Bwala in a recent press statement.

"Daniel committed two abominable sins in that infamous, treacherous and misleading statement.

“First, he wilfully and maliciously misrepresented the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) after his meeting with their leadership on the issue of the ongoing targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria, stating the exact opposite of CAN's position on the subject matter, thereby claiming that there was no genocide against Christians in Nigeria.

"It is un-statesmanly, unethical, dubious, if not criminal, to maliciously misrepresent people and attribute to them in public what they never told you in your private meeting with them".

"Daniel's second abominable sin is to deny the targeted genocidal killings of Christians in Nigeria. There have been sustained campaigns of extermination of Christians in Nigeria running unabated for almost two decades in which tens of thousands have been killed, maimed, scores of Christian communities destroyed, and millions displaced within and outside Nigeria.

"Most of the communities sacked Benue, Plateau and other Christian States have already been occupied and renamed by the aggressors. The aim is ethnic cleansing with the sole intention of exterminating the Christian population so as to create living spaces for a certain group of people and have a homogeneous Nigeria reflective of one main religion.

"It is, therefore, a shame that Daniel Bwala who hails from Borno State, the epicenter of Boko Haram's brutality would live in flagrant denial of the extermination of his own people. He must have lost fellow Christians in the state, yet the cosy red wine of the presidential palace has blinded his sensitivity to the memory of their blood. Daniel's duplicity, whether it is for political correctness or a desperate bid to please his paymasters as an ignoble political jobber, has left in its trail nothing but a history that will judge him hashly.

"His denial of the plight of the Christian population of Nigeria, especially those of northern extraction, is an insult to the collective sensitivity of Christians, not only in Nigeria, but all over the world. It is like denying that the Holocaust never happened. It is also like saying that the Rwandan Genocide never happened.

"Daniel's action has added more pains to the trauma of war and the fear of extermination facing the Nigerian Christian community. Denying the truth of people's horrifying existential experiences will exacerbate the situation and cause more damage than whatever political gains that the clueless, selfish and shameless adviser unwittingly seeks to achieve.

"Daniel should do well to check people like Daniel and Esther in the Bible who stood for justice in their generation and prevented the extermination of their people rather than perpetuating it just as he is doing.

"Seeking political relevance at all cost has been the trademark of Daniel's political engagement. It is very unfortunate that political prostitutes bereft of all morals are left to occupy sensitive positions of influence over saner and nobler people. That is the paradox of our nation. In civilized climes, the antecedents of people like Daniel Bwala should have given them away as unprofitable, inconsequential, treacherous and unreliable political charlatans.

"It is such a shame that Daniel, like Esau, has decided to sell his conscience for a morsel of bread and the fleeting, transient allure of power and political influence. He is nothing but a traitor to his own people and a disgrace to the entire Christian community in Nigeria. He has caused more pains and trauma in the hearts of survivors than the guns and bullets of the enemy.

"Well, Daniel should be reminded that positions are temporary, and when the position is over, he has his conscience to face on earth and God to face in the hereafter. Whatever position he occupies today is transient but the consequences of his actions will live with him forever.

"As a nation, it is time to heal, and time to move on, but only if we all lend our voices to the truth rather than standing in denial of it. We commend our security forces for their relentless fight against all agents of war and terror in our nation, and we enjoin all well-meaning leaders and stakeholders at all levels and across divides to stand by the truth and unite for the cause of enduring and sustainable peace.”

The Christian youths called on Nigerians to promote healing and unity through truth and justice, rather than through denial or political correctness.