The United Nations has raised concerns over alleged religious profiling and discrimination in access to jobs, healthcare, education and public services in Nigeria, warning that such practices threaten freedom of religion or belief and deepen social divisions.
UN Expert's Findings
The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Prof. Nazila Ghanea, made the observation on Friday while presenting her preliminary findings at a special briefing organised by the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja, after a 12-day official visit to Nigeria.
Ghanea, who met with more than 200 stakeholders including government officials, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations and victims of insecurity, said Nigeria's diversity must not be reduced to religious blocs.
Mandatory Religion Fields
She said the routine demand for religious information on official forms had created room for profiling and discrimination. According to her, religion fields appear in various processes, including job applications for federal and state civil service positions, university admissions, birth registration, scholarship applications, military and police recruitment, government services, public school enrolment and some legal processes.
“These fields should be optional rather than mandatory, but in practice there is pressure to fill them in,” she said.
The UN expert stressed that freedom of religion or belief extends beyond worship, covering thought, conscience, expression and the right not to declare any religion. She warned that religious profiling reinforces religion as a dominant organising principle in Nigerian society, making it vulnerable to exploitation for political and economic interests.
Insecurity Concerns
Ghanea also expressed alarm over worsening insecurity across parts of the country, listing terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, communal violence, attacks on places of worship, destruction of schools and mass displacement among the major challenges affecting Nigerians.
“Whereas the purpose of this visit was to consider the human rights situation regarding freedom of religion or belief, raising this topic with various stakeholders almost exclusively gave rise to acute concern regarding widespread insecurity,” she said.
She noted that violence had spread beyond previously affected regions, with rural communities suffering repeated attacks, killings and loss of livelihoods.
Religious Polarisation
The Special Rapporteur cautioned against viewing Nigeria only through a Muslim-Christian divide, saying such narratives overlook minority faith groups, intra-religious differences and citizens who do not identify with any religion.
“Alertness is needed regarding the increasingly polarised religious landscape, growing fear and segregation,” she said.
Ghanea said reports of discrimination existed on different sides of the religious divide, with some stakeholders alleging systematic discrimination against Christians in parts of the North and restricted rights for Muslims in parts of the South.
“These silos need to be broken for religious profiling to end and for full equality to become possible,” she added.
She called for stronger accountability mechanisms, improved security responses and a rights-based approach to addressing Nigeria's challenges. The UN envoy also acknowledged ongoing efforts by Nigerian authorities, including peacebuilding initiatives, interfaith dialogue and community security programmes, but stressed that more work was required.
“We need a humanity-first perspective,” Ghanea quoted one of her interlocutors as saying, noting that every Nigerian, regardless of faith, deserved protection.
She said her full report, containing detailed observations and recommendations, would be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2027.
