The Deeper Christian Life Ministry has reacted a viral report linking Pastor William Kumuyi to anti-American remarks and denial of Christian persecution in Nigeria.

The church clarified that Kumuyi has not been in Nigeria recently and did not hold any press briefing as claimed.

The reports rapidly gained traction on X, sparking widespread outrage and debate.

In an official statement on Monday on Pastor Kumuyi’s verified X account, the ministry described the report as “a total fabrication” and “the figment of the imagination of its authors.”

The church emphasized that Pastor Kumuyi’s ministry remains strictly apolitical, focused exclusively on preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Condemning the publication as “malicious,” the ministry warned individuals or groups seeking to misrepresent the pastor or drag him into political discourse.

The statement reads: “The Deeper Christian Life Ministry @dclmhq condemns in the strongest terms the malicious and entirely false news report circulated by a faceless platform which goes by the name of “Ibomfocus”

“The story with the headline: “America is Trying to Steal our Natural Resources; There is No Christian Genocide in Nigeria, says Pastor Kumuyi” is a total fabrication and the figment of the imagination of its authors.

“Pastor Kumuyi did not at any time address a press conference or make the aforementioned statement in Lagos. He has been away from Nigeria for a considerable length of time, holding programmes in the Oceania region and the Far East.

Besides, Pastor Kumuyi is well known for focusing entirely on preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He does not dabble into politics, as the false story mentioned above seemed to suggest.

“The Ministry warns all those bent on mischief by seeking to drag our General Superintendent into politics, or fabricating stories in his name, to desist from such venture. In the future, any such activity may attract action”.

The clarification comes amidst the recent threat by US President Donald Trump of military intervention in Nigeria.

The ongoing salary renegotiation between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may suffer another setback as the union has rejected the proposed 35 per cent pay increase for lecturers.

All 89 ASUU branches in public universities are said to have voted against the offer at the union’s recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja.

Naija News reports that the rejection raises concerns about a possible breakdown in discussions between the government’s re-negotiation team and the university lecturers’ union.

ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the development, explaining that the union remains firm on the salary structure recommended by the former government re-negotiation committee led by Prof. Nimi Briggs.

The recent offer by the Federal Government to us was a 35 per cent increase. When we had our meeting to suspend the warning strike, none of the 89 branches accepted the 35 per cent increase,” Piwuna told Daily Sun.

“All the 89 branches of ASUU in Nigeria rejected the 35 per cent increase. So, it’s a non-starter for us. We have Prof. Nimi Briggs’ benchmark, which we are discussing with them in the team, and we believe that’s what they should use.”

Naija News reports that the Nimi Briggs committee, which concluded its work in 2022, recommended a new salary scale for university lecturers, including a monthly pay of ₦1.2 million for professors in public universities.

The report, however, was shelved by the government. Currently, professors in Nigeria’s public universities earn less than ₦500,000 per month, less than half of what was proposed.

The union maintains that implementing the Briggs report is crucial to restoring dignity to the teaching profession and halting the exodus of academic talent from Nigeria’s university system.

In 2022, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) had recommended a compromise salary of ₦800,000 for professors, representing a 50 per cent increase, as against the ₦1.2 million earlier proposed by the Briggs panel.

That recommendation was also not implemented by the Federal Government, further widening the gap between the two parties.

With ASUU insisting on the Nimi Briggs template and rejecting the government’s 35 per cent offer, analysts fear that the ongoing renegotiation could reach a dead end, potentially setting the stage for renewed industrial unrest in the tertiary education sector.

Union leaders have repeatedly warned that without fair remuneration and improved working conditions, the nation’s universities will continue to lose qualified lecturers to better-paying institutions abroad.

For now, the ball appears to be in the Federal Government’s court as the academic union stands its ground on a deal it says reflects both economic realities and the true value of intellectual labour.

President Bola Tinubu is set to travel to the United States on Tuesday for high-level diplomatic engagements with the US government, Sahara reporters has learnt

Naija News understands that Tinubu’s trip is in the midst of a fraught dispute over allegations of mass killings of Christians in Nigeria and threats of military action from Washington.

Presidential sources told Sahara reporters on Sunday that Tinubu will be in the US on Tuesday for “top level” talks. The sources added that US President, Donald Trump, has delegated his vice, James David Vance, to receive or meet with Tinubu during the visit, subject to any last-minute changes.

Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity,” Bwala said in a statement.

The visit comes after Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and warned that the United States may deploy military force if the “killing of Christians” does not stop.

In a post, Trump said the US “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

He added, “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians.”

Bwala insisted that Washington has supported Nigeria’s security efforts in the past, notably through arms sales that the Tinubu administration has used to strengthen counterterrorism operations.

“President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorising the sale of arms to Nigeria and President Tinubu has adequately utilized the opportunity in the fight against terrorism for which we have massive results to show for it,” Bwala said.

He added that any differences over whether terrorists target Christians only or Nigerians of all faiths would be addressed directly by the two leaders during their meeting.

“As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or in fact all faiths and no faiths, the differences if they exist would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days, either in State House or White House,” he said.

The Nigerian Presidency has consistently rejected claims of Christian genocide, saying the allegations do not reflect realities on the ground and that the Constitution guarantees protection for citizens irrespective of faith. The presidency reiterated that its focus is on protecting all Nigerians and sustaining interfaith harmony.