Accord Party presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has presented a policy brief to the US Congress and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom outlining plans to strengthen religious freedom and security in Nigeria.
In the document, submitted ahead of a House hearing on Nigeria, Olawepo-Hashim proposed legislation to criminalize religious persecution, hate speech, and forced displacement. He also called for an independent commission that would investigate attacks within 30 days, operate nationwide, publish findings, and arrange compensation for victims.
The commission would report to the National Assembly.He acknowledged documented attacks on Christian communities, churches, and clergy in northern and central Nigeria but stressed that Shia Muslims, minority sects, and some Hausa Muslim communities also face persecution and discrimination.
He argued that framing the issue solely as a Christian-Muslim conflict divides the country, while viewing it as victims versus violent extremism could unite it.Olawepo-Hashim said religious freedom should be treated as a national security priority. Failure to protect worshippers or punish attackers, he warned, fuels exclusion, impunity, local militias, and eventual recruitment by extremists.If elected, he pledged to:
Develop a National Policy Framework on Religious Freedom for Conflict Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism.
Convene a national summit within the first 90 days involving victims, Christian and Muslim leaders (including Shia representatives), Hausa cultural groups, women, youth, and displaced persons.
Push for the National Religious Freedom for Conflict Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism Act within 180 days.
Establish a National Guard to protect vulnerable villages, farms, schools, and places of worship.
Launch reconstruction and return programmes for communities affected in areas such as Shanga, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and Borno.
He also proposed an international security conference on Nigeria and the Sahel within his first 100 days, with Nigeria leading and the United States as a partner, alongside ECOWAS, the African Union, and others.
The focus would include intelligence sharing, border security, and countering violent extremism.Olawepo-Hashim linked these issues to the credibility of the 2027 elections, citing risks from political violence and intimidation (including a recent attack on activist Omoyele Sowore).
He urged US support for free and fair elections through observation, technical help for INEC, and engagement with civil society, while emphasizing that Nigeria must solve its own problems.
He stressed that religious freedom cannot be secured while groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, Ansaru, and bandit networks operate freely, describing counter-extremism efforts as essential to protecting the right to worship.
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