IBADAN: Sultan of Sokoto, Obasanjo, CAN President preach tolerance, mutual understanding for united, peaceful Nigeria

By KEMI KASUMU

While describing the gathering as a clarion call on all Nigerians to have tolerance, love each other and stand with themselves, the Sultan urged all Nigerians to forget any contradiction on religion and embrace peace and love which all religions preach.

The Sultan of Sokoto and Leader of Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has insisted that the more realistic option for Nigeria getting better as a united and peaceful country is for its people to choose tolerance and mutual understanding above any kind of sentiments and relate with one another based on same.

The Sultan, who is Co-Chairman of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), spoke at Ibadan, Oyo State capital, during the World Interfaith Harmony Week Conference and Award Ceremony, put together by a radio station called Honour 103.5 FM and Pan-af Publishers.

The event, held on Wednesday February 5, 2025 and organized in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) with the theme, “The Love of the Good and The Love of the Neighbours” and a sub-theme, “Peace for Our Time”, was also attended by former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), former Speaker House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, and former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Daniel, among others.

The DEFENDER reports that the event, more importantly, was organised to foster peace and understanding among diverse faith communities in the country because, according to the leaders, Nigerians need to be at peace with one another for the country to unite and make progress.

Essentially, the Sultan, Obasanjo and CAN President Most Rev. Daniel Okoh, among others called on citizens to use their various religions as avenues for preaching tolerance and unity for the nation to achieve its desired goal of progress and development.

The Sultan of Sokoto said Nigeria would be a better country where everyone would have peace if the people can all unite, despite their differences.

He attributed most of the problems of the nation to lack of understanding, particularly about religious matters and ethnicity.

Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar, who was represented his Deputy President-General (South) for the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and President, Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, said “If Nigerians can come together as one despite their differences, we can have a better society because most of the problems the nation are having have to do with lack of understanding particularly when it comes to religion and ethnicity.”

While describing the gathering as a clarion call on all Nigerians to have tolerance, love each other and stand with themselves, the Sultan urged all Nigerians to forget any contradiction on religion and embrace peace and love which all religions preach.

In his own remarks, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo said all religions preach true love and tolerance, adding that there would be no peace without true love.

The former President said it is the collective responsibility of all Nigerians to ensure that the nation enjoys peace, adding that it is the responsibility of all citizens to work for peace.

Obasanjo said the gathering was a clarion call to all Nigerians to show tolerance, love each other, and stand with fellow citizens.

He urged the people to jettison religious contradiction and embrace peace and love.

The former President said all religions preach these virtues, adding that Nigerians must continue to hope for a brighter future and a Nigeria where peace reigns supreme.

The CAN President, Most Rev. Okoh, on his part, said the event was timely and a critical reminder for all Nigerians to embrace love, compassion and mutual respect for one another.

He charged them to work collectively towards building a future where peace and harmony reigns and all can live together in peace and unity.

Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara in his keynote address delivered by Hon. Timothy Golu, said both Islam and Christianity pride themselves as religions of peace with the scriptures commanding that one must live peacefully with all men, lamenting that this has become so difficult in the country.

He maintained that Nigeria is where it is today because of lack of leadership and denial of personal responsibility which has become a moral epidemic in the land.

According to him, Nigerians owe it to themselves and their children’s posterity 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, “Leaders think and talk about solutions and responsibility is at the heart of leadership because the leader is the one who responds to a need. That response may be to God’s call or to the needs they see around them, in this case, the unmitigated violence we witness on daily basis. It is said that, “everything rises and falls on leadership”.

“No society throughout history has ever risen above the level of its leadership. Sadly, when we abdicate our responsibility, all we have left is to cover up our weakness as in the case with us now.

“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.”