Get Guardian on GoogleChristian and Muslim youths in the South-West have signed an interreligious peace accord, pledging not to allow politicians to exploit religious differences to recruit them as thugs or instigate violence ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
The agreement was signed at the South-West Zonal Interreligious Peace Accord Summit, organised by the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) in collaboration with the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) at Bishop Stephen Adegbite Hall, Senator Oluremi Tinubu CAN Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
The summit, themed, “Building Bridges of Faith and Politics: Strengthening Peace, Unity and National Development Through Christian-Muslim Collaboration,” brought together religious leaders, politicians, youth representatives and other stakeholders to strengthen interfaith relations and promote peaceful coexistence.
Former presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, who attended the gathering, urged young Nigerians to remain committed to the teachings of their respective religions, saying this would help protect them from political manipulation.
Adesina, who served as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Muhammadu Buhari, described the accord as an initiative deserving nationwide support. He urged YOWICAN and NACOMYO to extend the campaign beyond the South-West to all six geopolitical zones.
He identified ignorance of one another’s religious beliefs as a major obstacle to peaceful coexistence, arguing that greater understanding of the fundamental teachings of Christianity and Islam would reduce suspicion and hostility.
The Lagos State Chairman and Executive Secretary of CAN, Bishop Prof. Stephen Tunde Victor Adegbite, who represented the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, also identified mistrust as a major threat to religious harmony.
Adegbite recalled the cordial relationships that existed among Nigerians of different religious backgrounds while growing up, expressing concern that suspicion and intolerance were gradually eroding the country’s culture of peaceful coexistence.
Citing his family background, he said religious differences should not divide Nigerians, noting that his grandmother was a Muslim. He urged young people to restore mutual trust and ensure that no Nigerian loses his or her life over political ambition.
“We want peace in our nation during election and after election. We don’t want anyone to be killed or blood split for any electoral position,” he said.
Also speaking, Lagos State Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Damilare Orimoloye, said tolerance, love and mutual understanding were necessary to prevent disagreements during election periods from degenerating into violence.
The South-West Chairman of YOWICAN, Rev. Nnamdi Obasi, said the initiative was designed to bridge divisions between Christians and Muslims and discourage religiously motivated violence.
He pledged that the accord would translate into practical engagement at the grassroots, with both organisations taking its message to states, local governments and communities.
Similarly, NACOMYO National Assistant Secretary, Shehu Garba Ibrahim, urged young people to accept electoral outcomes peacefully, irrespective of the political party or candidate that emerges victorious.
He disclosed that the organisation would work with imams and other Muslim leaders to take the peace campaign to mosques and communities.
Some participants also pledged to promote religious tolerance in their respective communities.
A Christian representative, Odofin Anuoluwapo, said the summit had reinforced the need for Nigerians to see themselves as one people, irrespective of their faiths, while Mudashir Ayokunle Bello, representing NACOMYO, called for sustained engagements to deepen understanding between the two groups.
