President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to protect the country’s unity despite religious, ethnic and political differences, stressing that dialogue is essential to keeping Nigeria together.
The President, represented by the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, spoke on Tuesday at the International Conference on Security and National Unity organised by Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah in collaboration with the Muslim World League.
Tinubu said his administration remains committed to tackling insecurity and promoting peace both within Nigeria and through cooperation with other countries.
According to him, Nigerians should continue to engage one another and preserve the unity of the nation regardless of their differences.
Also speaking at the conference, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda said Nigeria’s diversity should be a source of strength rather than division.
Recalling his experience as a displaced person during the Bauchi crisis, Yilwatda said violence affects everyone, regardless of whether they are Christian or Muslim.
He noted that his time in an internally displaced persons’ camp taught him that Nigerians may worship differently but still share the same fears, hopes and destiny.
Yilwatda warned politicians against exploiting religion and ethnicity for temporary political gain, saying such actions could cause lasting damage to the country.
He also called on religious leaders to make mosques and churches centres of peace, reconciliation and responsible citizenship, urging them to preach faith without hatred and truth without incitement.
The APC chairman further appealed to traditional rulers, political leaders and citizens to reject hate speech and protect vulnerable communities.
He said Nigerians should defend one another not because they belong to the same religion or ethnic group, but because they share a common humanity.
The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) also urged citizens to resist attempts to use religion, ethnicity or poverty to create division.
NIREC Executive Secretary, Prof. Cornelius Omonokhua, said Christians and Muslims must promote mercy, compassion, love and respect for human dignity.
He stressed that religion should never be used to justify violence and noted that both Christianity and Islam uphold the sanctity of human life.
Omonokhua added that what binds Nigerians together is their shared humanity, not their religious identity.
The Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chairman of NIREC, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, said Nigeria does not lack solutions to its problems but often fails in implementation.
He also urged Christians and Muslims to stop insulting one another, saying mutual respect is 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 aimed at preventing religious tensions from escalating into violence in Nigeria and West Africa.
Also present were federal ministers, governors, religious leaders, traditional rulers and other dignitaries.
