Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, says the claim that Christians are being systematically killed in Nigeria is untrue.

United States President Donald Trump had, on Saturday, instructed the Pentagon to “prepare for action” in Nigeria over alleged killing of Christians in the country.

He warned that if the Nigerian government failed to end the alleged killings, the United States would launch strikes that would be “fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs who attack our cherished Christians”.

In a statement on Wednesday, Keyamo said Trump’s comments were based false information.

The aviation minister said he had been a lawyer for over three decades and had dedicated most of his career to promoting and defending human rights.

“In 2017, right there in Washington, I was found worthy to be awarded the Global Human Rights Award by the United States Global Leadership Council, which had the eminent Dr Reuben Egolf as its chairman at the time,” he said.

“This was in recognition of my work over the years in the promotion of the rights of the downtrodden people. I was also born and raised as a Christian in Nigeria.”

Keyamo said his faith and commitment to ethical conduct would have prevented him from serving in any government that targeted Christians.

“It would have been most unconscionable for me to associate with – let alone accept to serve or continue to serve – a government if truly there is any scintilla of truth in the assertion that Christians are specifically targeted in Nigeria for persecution, killings or harassment on account of their faith. It is simply not true,” he said.

The aviation minister said Nigeria, like many other countries, has faced internal security challenges caused by violent groups such as Boko Haram and armed herders.

“These decades-old problems were inherited by our president who has made great progress in the fight against these insurgents,” he said.

“In fact, most of the security chiefs appointed by him are Christians, so it would be unthinkable to imagine them being complicit in the killing of fellow Christians in Nigeria.”

Keyamo described President Bola Tinubu as a “moderate” Muslim whose family reflects Nigeria’s religious diversity.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, though a Muslim, is a known ‘moderate’, whose wife is a pastor of one of the biggest Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria and most of his children are practising Christians,” he said.

“When he was governor of Lagos State, he regularly invited Christian pastors for prayers and worship sessions at the government house.

“He will be the last person to either adopt the killing of Christians as a state policy, or condone such acts or be complicit in them.”

Keyamo said Nigeria’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion and bars the adoption of any state religion, reflecting its secular nature.

“Nigeria is a secular state and our constitution explicitly provides for freedom of religion and prohibits the adoption of a state religion, reflecting its status as a multi-faith nation,” he said.