The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, have called on Nigerians to embrace religious tolerance, unity and dialogue as pathways to building a peaceful and prosperous nation.
The two leaders made the call in their separate speeches at the opening ceremony of an international conference on “Diversity and Social Peace: A Partnership for a Promising Future,” organised by the Muslim World League in Abuja.
Yilwatda described diversity as a defining feature of Nigeria’s national existence, urging citizens to transform the country’s religious, ethnic, linguistic and cultural differences from potential sources of division into instruments of national strength and development.
He challenged Nigerians to look beyond religious and ethnic identities and recognise their shared humanity and common destiny, stressing that the fundamental question confronting the country was not whether Christians and Muslims could live together, but what kind of nation they were building through the way they lived together.
Drawing from his personal experiences growing up in Yobe State and later witnessing communal conflicts in Plateau State, Yilwatda recalled the close friendship between his late father, a pastor, and the Chief Imam of Nguru.
He said the relationship demonstrated that religious differences should never become barriers to friendship, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
“Religious difference does not have to produce human distance. Indeed, our differences should not prevent us from recognising what we share. We may worship differently, but we share the same humanity. We may speak different languages, but we share the same hopes for our children. We may come from different communities, but we share one country and one future,” he said.
The APC National Chairman warned that Nigeria’s diversity could become dangerous when citizens were encouraged to dehumanise people of other faiths or ethnic backgrounds.
He identified terrorism, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, communal violence, ethnic suspicion, religious intolerance, hate speech and political manipulation of identity as major threats to national cohesion.
Yilwatda noted that although terrorism could attempt to assume a religious identity, banditry could exploit ethnic narratives and political actors could weaponise identity for electoral advantage, none of these should be allowed to define Nigeria or its people.
“The real battle is for the soul of our nation. And that battle cannot be won by security measures alone,” he said.
According to him, sustainable peace requires justice, education, responsible leadership, economic opportunities, dialogue and moral courage.
He called on religious leaders to deploy their moral influence in promoting tolerance and reconciliation, urging churches and mosques to become centres of peace and platforms for teaching citizens how to live together despite their differences.
Yilwatda also urged political leaders to resist exploiting religious and ethnic sentiments for political gain, while calling on traditional rulers to strengthen reconciliation, dialogue and justice within their communities.
He proposed what he described as a “Nigerian Covenant for Coexistence”, involving religious leaders, political leaders, traditional institutions, civil society organisations and citizens in a shared commitment to reject violence, hate speech, religious intolerance and the politicisation of identity.
He said such a covenant should include commitments to protecting places of worship, defending vulnerable communities and teaching children that people who worship differently are not their enemies.
“The future of Nigeria cannot be secured by one faith defeating another, or one ethnic group prevailing over another. There is no victory in destroying the house we all call home,” he declared.
Yilwatda urged Nigerians to choose dialogue over confrontation, reconciliation over revenge, justice over vengeance and humanity over identity, stressing that Nigeria did not need less diversity but greater wisdom and leadership to manage its diversity.
Responding to the APC National Chairman’s remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto commended Yilwatda for what he described as a profound and comprehensive intervention on resolving Nigeria’s differences and building a peaceful society.
The Sultan recalled that the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) was established by Christian and Muslim leaders as a platform for dialogue and interaction towards peaceful coexistence.
He urged Nigerians to stop insulting and demonising one another, stressing that all human beings were created equal by God and that no individual or group was inherently superior to another.
“We lack honesty and trust. We don’t trust ourselves, and that is where the problem is. Nobody is better than another person,” the Sultan said.
He expressed appreciation for Yilwatda’s emphasis on humanity, describing the message as a major pathway towards resolving Nigeria’s religious and social differences.
Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, at the event, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, said the Federal Government remained committed to collaborating with governments and relevant stakeholders to strengthen security and promote peace in Nigeria and beyond.
Senator Barau reaffirmed the administration’s determination to preserve Nigeria’s unity despite its religious and ethnic diversity, stressing the need for the country to remain united and peaceful.
He urged participants to use the international platform to contribute to the global debate on peace and security, particularly amid increasing security challenges around the world.
He also commended the Muslim World League for choosing Nigeria to host the conference, expressing confidence that the deliberations would produce practical ideas capable of advancing global peace and security.
The conference brought together religious leaders, government officials, traditional rulers, members of the diplomatic community, academics, civil society actors and other stakeholders to deliberate on diversity, inter-religious relations, social cohesion and sustainable peace in Nigeria and beyond.
