Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Sultan of Sokoto/Co-Chairman, Nigerian Interfaith Council, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III and President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Most Rev Daniel Okoh, yesterday preached religious tolerance among Nigerians to have a peaceful and united Nigeria.
Others included former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel and former Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara. The stakeholders made the advocacy while speaking in Ibadan at the World Interfaith Harmony Week Conference and Awards, aimed at fostering peace and understanding among diverse faith communities.
To them, Nigeria needs to be in peace and harmony for the multi-ethnic nation to move forward. The event, which was organised by Honor 103.5 FM and Panaf Publishers in collaboration with the United Nations, had the theme: The Love of the Good and The Love of the Neighbors, with a sub-theme of Peace for Our Time.
According to Obasanjo, all religions preach true love and tolerance, and that there can’t be peace without true love. He said it is the collective responsibility of all Nigerians for the nation to be in peace and should not be left for someone.
In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, who was represented by President of Muslim Ummah, South West (MUSWEN), Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, said if Nigerians can come together as one despite its differences, we can have a better society, because most of problems the nation is having has to do with lack of understanding, particularly when it comes to religion and ethnicity.
He described the gathering as a clarion call on all Nigerians to have tolerance, love one another and stand with themselves, while urging all Nigerians to forget any contradiction on religion and embrace peace and love which all religions preach, adding that Nigerians must continue to hope for a brighter future and for a Nigeria where peace reigns supreme.
In his keynote address, Dogara, who was also represented, said Nigerians owe it to themselves and their children to strive for peace, noting that all Nigerians should deploy skills and humanity to create a society where every individual can live with dignity, pride, respect and with abounding peace.
He said: “As people of faith, we have a divine responsibility to achieve a better and more fully integrated life for our citizens across religious boundaries.
It must be noted that we cannot be a nation if we merely tolerate each other, or if our peace is only silence, or if our happiness is the other groups’ unhappiness.
“For progress to be made, we must fight for justice for the Christian, for the Muslim and even for those who choose not to believe at all.
Nothing stops us from working together to peacefully resolve conflicts, address the root causes of violence, of poverty and of inequality.
It is unbridled foolishness for us to fail to realise that our collective security is tied to the security of each and every one of us. As members of the same human family, we have the power to create a culture of peace by letting go of hatred, anger and fear.”
Also, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President, Most Rev Daniel Okoh, said the event was timely and a critical reminder for all Nigerians to embrace love, compassion and mutual respect for each other.
He urged Nigerians to work collectively towards building a future where peace and harmony reign and all can live together in peace and unity. “Let’s continue to engage in dialogue, which is the only tool to sustain peace,” he noted.
He, however, emphasised on religious literacy which will help Nigerians to know what binds them together, than what divides them, adding that Nigerians must speak for themselves regardless of their religion or ethnic background.
Other dignitaries at the event included former President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Supo Ayokunle, Executive Secretary of MUSWEN, Prof Muslih Tayo Yahaya and Dr Yemi Farounbi.
