Daily Trust (Abuja)

NEWS
18 October 2007

By Mohammed Lawal Shaibu


Fifty Muslim and Christian religious leaders met in Abuja yesterday to explore ways of achieving enduring peace and harmony in the country.

An equal number of Muslim and Christian leaders met at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel under the auspices of the Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC) to map out strategies on how to avert crisis before it occurs.


Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammadu Sa'ad called on Nigerians to eschew religious intolerance and imbibe the spirit of harmonious coexistence in the interest of Nigeria's growth and development.

The Sultan, who was addressing the meeting in Abuja yesterday, said no meaningful development could be achieved in country where there is crisis and instability.

He urged Muslims and Christians in the country to extol the virtues of tolerance, charity, respect and forgiveness as well as promote the universality of the common bonds which joined them together as Nigerians.

"The issue of peace and religious harmony constitutes one of the cardinal principles which underlie the essence of our collective existence. Peaceful co-existence remains one of the key ingredients of nation-building and socio-economic development.

"Religious harmony and the respect for the life and property of one another embody not only our commitment to these national goals but also express our common humanity and the affirmation of the benevolence of our Creator who, in His infinite wisdom, has put us together in this common abode," he said.

Sultan Sa'ad, who is also the president general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) said Nigerian religious differences should serve as a source of its national strength, stressing that its people should live, work and co-operate with one another to resolve any misunderstandings which might arise in their day-to-day activities.

The Sultan also called on religious leaders in the country to rededicate themselves to the noble cause of peace-building and mutual co-existence among religious groups.

"We must, as religious leaders, champion the cause of truth, honesty, accountability and justice and ensure that our followers embody these virtues and put them into effect. We must serve as a source of succour to the weak and the poor in our societies and provide hope and confidence to our people to face the social, economic and moral crises which they are bound to encounter in their collective existence," the Sultan said.

He called on President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to, among other things, set up a functional national secretariat as well as appropriate structures for NIREC at the state level for public enlightenment, peace monitoring and conflict resolution activities; and to enable NIREC to evolve greater co-operation and co-ordination between it and relevant government agencies.

It would be recalled that NIREC was established by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to promote greater interaction and understanding among religious leaders and their followers, and to establish the foundations of sustainable peace and religious harmony in the country.