Needed, US-Nigeria’s Firmness To End Terrorism And Religious Violence In Nigeria

Being a Speech delivered ad-libbed by Pastor Enoch A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Worldwide, at a “US-Nigeria Faith Heroes Award Gala”, held in Washington DC, USA, as organized by the Save Nigeria Group-USA, where Pastor Adeboye received “The Patriarch of Faith Honor.”

A sister, here, told us a story about some children who lived in a place where it was always winter. They kept saying; “Who was it that was moving?” That story is prophetic, because God is moving in Nigeria.

Because of what’s going on, when the pains became almost unbearable, and some people accused me of being quiet at a time when I should be talking, I was compelled to cry unto God. We had been fasting and praying for a particular group of schoolchildren who had been captured.

The kidnappers felt that the government was not reacting fast enough to give them the money they had demanded for. So they slaughtered their teacher and showed the video to the rest of the world.

Then, some people began to speak again, challenging those of us who said; “We have been praying and fasting”. Where is your God?” So, I went to the Lord in prayer, in deep agony. I said, Father, you have heard them asking; where is our God?  And God spoke to me that the release of the children was going to be dramatic.

He did not tell me the timing or the details. He said that where I felt that aspect, He would talk to me a bit about what would happen after this particular incident. Among the things, He mentioned what would happen to those who have been sponsoring terrorism and kidnapping in Nigeria.

I did not have any idea of what was going to happen here. I only know that my son, the father of that young man (obviously Stephen Osemwegie), who is the organizer, told me about this meeting. He knew I would be in America for the American convention of our church, and I was supposed to have been on my way to Nigeria by now.

I am happy that you said this program is not political. I am not holding this meeting to discredit the government, and so on and so forth. If we talk about what is happening in Nigeria, vis-a-vis Christianity, it is a bit difficult for me to bear all that is happening there.

But in Africa, the elders are the custodians of very deep philosophy. The point is that an elder, to be called an elder, must be able to suffer long and just pretend that nothing is happening.

One of the things people were complaining about was that I am from the Southern part of Nigeria, and the Northern part is supposed to be predominantly Muslim. So they accused me, in particular, that because I am from the South, I am not paying enough attention to the churches in the North.

I smile in pains because in the North, where the persecution is tougher, I have more than 8,000 churches under my care. I have suffered things that, if “the soup were to upset the belly of the elder”, we wouldn’t be having this kind of meeting. One of my daughters, a pastor in the North, went for evangelism.

It is simply telling everybody, loud and clear, “Jesus loves you.” That is all she was doing passing by the front of a mosque. Some people came out of the mosque and killed her. That was not hidden; it was news. And the case was not even investigated. The police did not even come.

The younger generation of Christians made some suggestions. “The police will not come. They have done their own. Let us do our own.” They said, “We know the mosque. We know the chief imam. Let us do something. After all, the police will not come.”

And I smiled, because if I had agreed that we should do what they said we should do, and by the time they finish, even you will say, “I did not ask you to go that far.” But, I told them, “If there is going to be a religious war in Nigeria, I will not be the one who will start it”.

 

This video of Pastor Adeboye’s speech on June 23, 2026 in Washington, D.C., United States of America was posted on YouTube by The Beautiful Day Testimonial.

As you saw in the video tonight, where some people were being slaughtered, I am happy they quickly took it away. It reminds me of what happened in one of our churches in the North. I taught my own people: We do not run. Light does not run from darkness under circumstances.

So, Boko Haram drove away the churches in the Middle Belt. The pastors there fled, but my pastor refused to move. One day, they came to visit him at home. But he was not in. However, his wife was in, and she had just given birth to a set of twins. So they said, “Well, the husband is not at home. We will leave him a gift that will cause him to move. And they slaughtered the twins”.

I heard, of course, that the poor little mother nearly went mad. It was quite a terrible experience. So I told my son, the pastor, “Come to the South. You have already paid your price.

I mean, when you get to heaven now, and Paul is bragging about how many times they beat him and how many times they stoned him, you can say, ‘Okay, you never married. You never had a set of twins. I had a set of twins, and I lost them for Christ’s sake, I said, “You have made a mark. Come to the South. We will arrange for somebody else to take your place.”

He looked at me and said, “Daddy, what are you saying? You also taught us that we do not run, and we did not run”. Not only are they still there; to mark the occasion, we established an IDP camp. We started a school for them, and they have been around now for years. By the grace of God, come this September, we are going to start a secondary school there.

The IDP camp has mothers and the children. Where were the men? They can run, but they can’t settle. We had arranged for the mothers to learn something they could do, because, after all, one day, they are going back home.

I am not here to tell a long story. And everything I say, because this meeting is being watched live, at least in Nigeria. I am not going to say anything that I have not said before.

Thank God for Trump. Thank you very much. Last year, around November, he sent a message that he was coming to bomb the terrorists in Nigeria. And I felt that, again, if I did not say something, things might not go the way they should go.  You see, there is something wonderful about bombing.

The only problem with it is that no matter how accurate your bomb may be, some innocent people will suffer. And I think he meant to bomb us several times. So again, I had to speak on the first Friday of November, 2025. I announced publicly that the government must do something quickly.

I said to them, “I have never met Trump, but I have followed him, and I like him. That does not mean I agree with all his ways. What I like about him is this: one, he tells the truth. He is the best politician I have ever met. During his first term, the ambassador in Nigeria at that time visited me in my home.

After discussing the main, he asked me; “What do you think of our new president, Donald Trump?” I said I like him. He said, “Why?” I said, he is doing what he promised you he would do. And I like him because, when he says, “I want to do this,” you had better get ready. Many times, he would even have done that before you know.

I said to my government, publicly, on the first Friday of November last year; “God has just given you an opening. When this man says he is coming to bomb you, he is coming. If you do not believe me, ask Iran, because he bombed Iran first before Iran knew that there was a bomb coming.” I said, “In our own case, God has given us an opportunity. He has told us in advance.” So I told them to do three things. It was recorded in all the newspapers.

One: government should go and beg Trump quickly, to give you 100 days of grace. ”Two: Call the military officers-the Army, Navy, and Air Force and tell them; “within 90 days, stop this mess or resign.” Three: you know the kidnappers and terrorists doing the dirty work are in the bush.

Also go after their sponsors, the wealthy people who are business men and politicians. If you do not deal with them and those suppliers of arms and ammunition, and the crimes stop, the problem will continue.

After I made that announcement publicly, I was invited into our own White House, and I met with the President and his Wife. The Wife of the president is one of my pastors. And, without fear, I repeated what I said in the open. “Sir, do not waste time. Get in contact with President Trump.

Go through the ambassador. Call your military officers. Give them a marching order for 90 days: wipe out this rubbish or resign. And then take care of the supporters, the sponsors. They later came (to the US). It was in the news that the President’s Wife was in the gathering.

He contacted the U.S. calling for a meeting with senior officers. What he told them, I do not know, and I do not need to know, because he is the Commander-in-Chief. Where he gives instructions to his subordinates, who are you to be there?

This needs to be clear. I do not support those who are accusing the President of not doing enough. When the Commander-in- Chief has given instructions to his subordinates, he has done his bit.

When my friend, Trump, gives instructions to bomb anywhere, he does not leave the White House. He has done his bit. He commanded, “Bomb Iran,” and then he goes to his bedroom and slept. The rest is left to his subordinates. All I know is that on Christmas Day, the bomb landed.

There’s a situation, probably because he might have been misunderstood that all he wanted to do was throw a bomb. That he is no longer interested in Nigeria.

Things have gone far and worse than before the bombs came. The terrorism, kidnapping, and so on that were in the North are now at my doorstep in the South. They and their sponsors are known, but still moving about freely.

I thank you (organizers) very much for making the theme of tonight: “America, Thank You. But, You Have To Do Much More.” There are certain people in my country only God can deal with. There are some people; I regret to say; who are untouchable. Forgive me for taking you a little bit into mathematics. I am a mathematician, you know.

Once a mathematician forever a mathematician! Newton’s first law of motion says a body remains at rest or maintains uniform motion in a straight line, except an external force compels it to do otherwise.

One way to put it in simple language is this: If you leave this table where it is, and you shut the doors so that no wind can blow in and there is no earthquake, and you come back in ten years’ time, the table will still be there-unless somebody from outside causes it to go in another direction.

If you want to help us, help us. It does not matter who you elect into office, if God does not help us. It is wise and correct when they say, where is your God?

Somebody would say he is the father of Christians in Nigeria. Me? That is a joke. I am an ordinary pastor. The father of Christians in Nigeria is an Archbishop. And if you want to know the distance between a pastor and an Archbishop, it is the same as the distance between the Earth and Mars.

Use your influence. Here in this nation, only a fool would dare America. If America says, “I want to wipe you out,” it has the power to do it. We all know it. Use your influence to help us, preferably not by force, because I do not even want a Muslim to die. They are my potential brothers. If you kill them, who will I have to convert?

And I know very well that the picture painted for you is that, yes, there is a problem in Nigeria, but it is not Christianity alone. That is true. If you look at that statement, you will find a lot of true corollaries.

It is true that Christians are not the only ones suffering from terrorism. But that truth confirms, number one that Christians are suffering. You said they are not alone. Okay, but they are suffering most.

Number two, nobody has told you that, in all the attacks, not one can be traced to a Christian. Not one. What nobody has told you, is that the younger Christians are not as cool-headed as those whose “stomach will not allow the soup to shake”. There are many of these younger ones, who are so restive now, if God was to take me home today. God have mercy.

So, we have to move fast. If you are going to help us, help us soon. All we are asking for is that Christians and Muslims live together in peace. I was born in a home where Christians and Muslims used to live together in absolute peace. I had one uncle whose name was Alhaji, a Muslim name.

One of my sisters, by both parents, was married to a Muslim. In my family, you heard names like Rasak and Hadiat. There are decent Muslims. We were living together in peace, celebrating together in peace. We want that back.

Help us. Use your diplomatic influence and whatever you have, like somebody suggested, that other nations like Britain, Switzerland, Australia etc., could come together to help us.

We will keep praying. We will keep fasting. But we need help. God bless you.

The Pastor Adeboye’s speech-on-video was transcribed and given a headline by Tony Erha, a journalist and activist.