Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme in defending the freedom of religion or belief of persecuted Christians.

Through the SPRiNG programme, we have convened workshops to explore the root causes of conflict, including religious dimensions, and to introduce tools that enable political and traditional leaders to apply a Freedom of Religion or Belief and conflict sensitivity lens in their decision making.

The programme has achieved encouraging results in its first full year of implementation. For example, in Nasawara State, the programme supported mediation efforts through the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) which resulted in a negotiated agreement between the Bassa and Egbura People, enabling the return and resettlement of 5000 internally displaced persons. As of September 2025, SPRiNG interventions have directly benefited over 18,875 people.