President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to preserve the unity of the country despite their religious, ethnic and other differences, stressing that dialogue remains essential to sustaining Nigeria as one nation.
Tinubu, represented by the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, made the call on Tuesday at the International Conference on Security and National Unity organised by Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) in collaboration with the Muslim World League.
The President said the Federal Government remained committed to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges and promoting peace through cooperation with other countries.
He stressed that Nigerians must continue to communicate and resolve their differences rather than allow them to threaten national cohesion.
“Not only that, the government is determined to make sure that we remain united as a country, despite our differences, whatever the differences may be. We should talk and remain in this country, and allow this country to remain a united nation, a united country,” Tinubu said.
The President described the conference as timely given the security challenges confronting Nigeria and other parts of the world.
He expressed optimism that discussions at the event would contribute to efforts to achieve sustainable peace at the regional, continental and global levels.
Tinubu also commended the Muslim World League for partnering with JIBWIS and selecting Nigeria as the first country to host the conference.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, separately warned political leaders against exploiting religion and ethnicity for political advantage, saying such actions could deepen divisions and cause lasting damage to the country.
Yilwatda said Nigeria’s diversity should be regarded as a source of strength rather than division, stressing that religious and ethnic differences should not undermine the shared humanity and common destiny of Nigerians.
Drawing from his experience as a displaced person during the Bauchi crisis, the APC chairman said violence does not discriminate based on religion.
“When violence comes, it does not ask whether you are a Christian or a Muslim before it destroys either your home, or your humanity, or your dignity,” he said.
Yilwatda said his experience in an internally displaced persons’ camp taught him that Nigerians could practise different religions while sharing the same fears, aspirations and destiny.
He urged politicians to resist the temptation to weaponise religion and ethnicity for temporary political gains.
“No political victory is worth the permanent damage inflicted on our nation,” he said.
The APC chairman also called on religious leaders to use their influence to promote peace and reconciliation rather than hatred and division.
He urged religious leaders to preach faith without hatred, conviction without contempt and truth without incitement, while encouraging traditional rulers to prioritise dialogue and reconciliation over retaliation.
Yilwatda further called for a collective commitment from religious leaders, political leaders, traditional institutions and citizens to reject hate speech and protect vulnerable communities.
He urged Nigerians not to use religion to justify violence and to reject hate speech regardless of whether it originates from religious institutions, traditional palaces, political platforms or social media.
The APC chairman said Nigerians should build a country where people protect one another irrespective of religious or ethnic differences because they share a common humanity.
He also called for peace to ensure that future generations inherit schools, homes and opportunities rather than displacement camps and memories of violence.
The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) also urged Nigerians to reject attempts to weaponise religion, ethnicity and poverty to create division.
The Executive Secretary of NIREC, Prof Cornelius Omonokhua, said Christians and Muslims should promote mercy, compassion, love and respect for human dignity.
“No one is created a Christian, and no one is created a Muslim. We are created as human beings; hence what binds us together is humanity,” Omonokhua said.
He stressed that religion must never be used to justify violence, noting that both Christianity and Islam uphold the sanctity of human life.
Omonokhua said NIREC would continue promoting human dignity, the common good and the welfare of Nigerians through cooperation between Christians and Muslims.
Also speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chairman of NIREC, Sa’ad Abubakar III, called for greater implementation of agreements reached at conferences and dialogue sessions.
The Sultan said Nigeria did not lack solutions to its challenges but needed stronger commitment to implementing agreed solutions.
“We don’t lack solutions to our problems. What we lack is implementation. How to implement whatever we agree to do,” he said.
He also urged Christians and Muslims to stop insulting one another, stressing that mutual respect was necessary for peaceful coexistence.
The conference was attended by the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Issa, who witnessed the signing of the Abuja Declaration.
The declaration seeks to establish a new alliance between Muslim and Christian leaders and create a peace-building mechanism to help Nigeria and West Africa prevent religious tensions from escalating into violence.
Ministers, governors, religious leaders, traditional rulers and other dignitaries also attended the conference.
The gathering comes amid continued calls for stronger interfaith cooperation and national dialogue as Nigeria seeks to address security challenges and strengthen social cohesion.
