Nonreligious Community Of Nigeria Petitions US Embassy Over Alleged Discrimination

The Nonreligious Community of Nigeria has submitted two major petitions to the Federal Ministry of Education and the United States Embassy in Abuja, alleging systemic discrimination, exclusion, and persecution of irreligious citizens across the country.

In the petitions dated November 19, and signed by its National Coordinator Ikechukwu Obasi Esq., the group accused Nigerian authorities of marginalising humanists, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, and other nonreligious citizens.

It urged the international community —particularly the U.S. Congress — to recognise what it described as “widespread but unacknowledged persecution” of nonbelievers in Nigeria.

In the letter submitted to the Federal Ministry of Education, the organisation faulted Nigeria’s newly approved 2025 Basic and Senior Secondary Education Curriculum for maintaining compulsory Christian Religious Studies (CRS) and Islamic Religious Studies (IRS) without offering a secular alternative.

The group insisted that the absence of an option such as Critical Thinking Studies violates Section 38(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion—including the right not to practice any religion.

According to the statement, forcing nonreligious children into religious instruction “excludes, stigmatises, and disadvantages them,” while reinforcing “indoctrination rather than education.”

The group called for the nationwide adoption of Critical Thinking Studies, arguing that such a subject aligns with global best practices and UNESCO recommendations on inclusive education.

In a separate petition delivered to the United States Embassy in Abuja, the community urged American lawmakers to acknowledge the plight of irreligious Nigerians during Thursday’s scheduled U.S. Congressional hearing on alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria.

The letter cited several cases, including: The continued imprisonment of Mubarak Bala; The harassment and intimidation of Abraham Daniel; and multiple instances of threats, attacks, and killings targeting nonreligious individuals—particularly in northern states.

The group argued that discussions on religious persecution in Nigeria often exclude nonbelievers, who it described as “one of the least protected and most silent minorities in the country.”

It urged U.S. lawmakers to ensure that any conversation on religious freedom includes freedom from religion, not just freedom of religion.

Speaking on the twin submissions, the National Coordinator of the community, Obasi Ikechukwu, Esq, described them as “a necessary step toward securing equal rights, educational fairness, and human dignity for millions of Nigerians who do not subscribe to any religion.”

He emphasized the group’s commitment to defending: Freedom of belief and non-belief; Equal treatment of all citizens; A school system that promotes reasoning, inquiry, and tolerance.

The organisation also reaffirmed its mission to challenge discrimination and push for secular governance in Nigeria.

The Nonreligious Community of Nigeria represents a wide range of groups including humanists, atheists, agnostics, rationalists, freethinkers, and secularists.

The community has long argued that Nigeria, despite being officially secular, operates religiously-biased systems that marginalise those who identify with no religion.(SaharaReporters)