Dialogue is only option to achieve sustainable peace in Nigeria — CAN
08 February 2025 |
2:32 am
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, has emphasised the need to promote religious literacy among the citizenry and engage in dialogue as the only option to achieve sustainable peace and harmony in the country.
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, has emphasised the need to promote religious literacy among the citizenry and engage in dialogue as the only option to achieve sustainable peace and harmony in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week Al conference and awards in Abuja, on Friday, Okoh urged religious leaders to resist all false teachings that use religion to create enmity among Nigerians.
He said: “Religious literacy would help us to see that actually what unites us is greater than what divides us. Our religiousity must be seen as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. Therefore, we must do everything within our powers to resist all false teachings that use religion to create enmity among our people in Nigeria.
“We must continue to engage in dialogue as the only option to achieve and sustain peace and harmony. To deepen our engagement with one another, we must continue to promote religious literacy among the citizenry, highlighting the common values that we share, which brings us together rather than those issues that divide us.”
The CAN President stated that in the pursuit of peace, Nigerians must recognise the rights of others and defend them, stressing that “it is in defending the rights of others that our own rights can be protected.”
He added: “We must speak for others regardless of their religion, ethnic or social background recognising the common humanity that we all share. We must remember that we were all created in the image of God. CAN recognises the imperative of dialogue for peace and sustainable development and that is why the leaders of the association got involved with the leadership of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) to form the Nigeria Interreligious Council (NIREC), which brings prominent leaders of the two major religions in Nigeria together in peaceful dialogue.”
Okoh observed that NIREC, led by two Co-Chairmen, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), has recorded many successes in efforts to reduce religious conflict in Nigeria since its establishment in 1999.
“As we celebrate the achievements of individuals and organisations committed to advancing these values, we are reminded that love is not passive; it is an active force that demands courage, sacrifice, and the willingness to patiently listen to others with open hearts and minds. It is through such acts of love and solidarity that we can truly embody the spirit of this year’s theme,” he noted.
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