The United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa will hold an open hearing on Thursday, November 20, 2025, to examine President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
The CPC designation, if ratified by the Senate, would allow the U.S. to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials found complicit in religious persecution and limit certain forms of bilateral assistance.
It also signals to the international community that religious freedom in Nigeria remains under serious threat.
The hearing, scheduled for 11:00 am in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and available via live webcast, will be chaired by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ).
It will feature two panels of witnesses, including senior U.S. State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.
The invite to the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs read, “You are respectfully requested to attend an open hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to be held by the Subcommittee on Africa at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.”
According to the invite, panelists will include Senior Bureau Official of the Bureau of African Affairs, Jonathan Pratt, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Jacob McGee.
The second panel will feature the Director of the Centre for Religious Freedom, Ms Nina Shea; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Nigeria; and Ms Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic & International Studies.
The congressional hearing is expected to review not only the scope of religious persecution in Nigeria, but also potential policy responses, including targeted sanctions, humanitarian assistance, and collaboration with Nigerian authorities to prevent further violence.
On October 31, 2025, President Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern’’ for religious freedom violations. The move has sparked debate over rising attacks on Christians in Nigeria and the possibility of U.S. intervention.
He claimed that Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria, with thousands of Christians being killed by radical Islamists.
The PUNCH
