Sanwo-Olu, Sultan, CAN president urge religious, traditional leaders to preach peace

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged religious and traditional leaders to continue to make it a collective responsibility to preach as well as work towards promoting unity, peace, justice and tranquillity in Nigeria.

Sanwo-Olu, who stated this, yesterday, at the opening ceremony of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), third quarter meeting for 2022, said this would bring about peaceful co-existence among the people and promote development.

In his remarks, Secretary to the Government, Boss Mustapha, said the meeting was a call to national duty to take an active part in renewing troubled communities and that people should work for justice, peace and fair play to create the needed change so that Nigerians can always live in unity and harmony.

Also speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto and Co-chairman of NIREC, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, said the role of religious leaders is to be just and fair to earn the trust of the people while urging Muslims and Christians in the country to come together to pursue peace and justice as they are inseparable. He also urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off the ongoing strike.

He said the meeting was coming on the heels of the lifting of the ban on political activities in Nigeria and based on the importance of religion, the platform and the theme were apt to share notes as well as discuss issues as there was a need to fight the course of justice and peace.

President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and NIREC’s Co-chairman, Daniel Okoh, urged the people to embrace peace, stop inciting utterances, live in peaceful co-existence with one another, be accountable, elect leaders with capacities during the 2023 general elections and abhor tribal sentiments, among other vices.

Earlier in his speech, the Executive Secretary of the Council, Cornelius Omonokhua, said the meeting was aimed at changing existing narratives to allow justice and peace to reign in Nigeria and that there was a need for mental reengineering, change of values and attitudes as well as radical emancipation to address the root of various calamities of national concerns.

The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Anofiu Elegushi, also called on religious leaders to continue to preach peace and unity as this would bring about development.