Former Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro, has urged Nigerians to put aside their religious differences and embrace national unity.

Okiro made the call in Minna, Niger, at the inauguration of a renovated Juma’at Mosque by the Sir Mike Okiro Foundation at the Police Secondary School (PSS).

Okiro said the project, aimed at promoting religious harmony, was undertaken to provide Muslim students and staff with a conducive place of worship within the school premises.

According to him, all citizens serve one God irrespective of faith, and faith should be demonstrated through acts of love, peace and service to humanity.

“When I saw that our Muslim brothers and sisters in this school had nowhere decent to pray during school hours, my conscience would not let me walk away.

“We all worship the same God. What binds us together is greater than what divides us,” he said. Okiro said the mosque symbolised religious tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence, adding that no student should feel excluded because of his or her religious belief.

He urged Nigerians to learn from the country’s past heroes by treating one another as brothers and sisters, irrespective of religious affiliation.

“I want Nigerians to put aside their significant religious beliefs and accept Nigeria as one. Everybody should be one as we serve the same God,” he said.

Okiro recalled that a Catholic Church he built within the school was inaugurated in 2025 as part of efforts to promote interfaith harmony in the institution.