Find solution to ethno-religious crises, Sultan, Oritsejafor tell FG
BY OLA AJAYI
IBADAN—The Chairmen of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council, NIREC, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, have called on the Federal Government to find lasting solution to the ethno-religious crises in Plateau and Borno States which have recorded heavy casualties. They made the call at the 2011 general meeting of NIREC in Ibadan yesterday.
Pastor Oritsejafor who is the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, said with the introduction of weapons of war like bombs, all Nigerians must be concerned because the crises had assumed a new dimension.
Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, while speaking at the occasion, said the meeting was very timely as it was came at a time when ethno-religious harmony and tolerance was at a crossroad.
According to the governor: “Since the beginning of last year, the country has witnessed sectarian violence of unequal proportion.”
Akala tasks religious leaders on ethno-religious crises
“The persistent loss of lives and property occasioned by communal strife and religious intolerance in several parts of this country have assumed a worrisome dimension and it has become obvious that timely intervention must come from stakeholders to stem the tide.”
He noted that it would “be dangerous to fold our arms in anguish and allow this country to go up in flames because of avoidable communal and religious disagreement.”
In the past, he recalled, political skirmishes took the centre stage in our country but now “that we are beginning to breathe the fresh-air of political maturity devoid of the usual turbulence, a new phenomenon of large scale annihilation of rival ethnic and religious groups has brought some parts of this country into turmoil”.
He called on the religious leaders and royal fathers not to allow the crises to divide or destroy the very fabric of this nation, stressig that NIREC had been playing a key role in stemming the tide of crises and declared that solution to the crises must be pursued with more vigour and zeal.
Akala advised that “we should identify all other flash-points in the country and intensify proper orientation through regular sermons at religious worships and other gatherings.”
“At the same time, our royal fathers across the country must not relent in their efforts to constantly remove the suspicion which usually, is at the root of most communal crisis in the country. We have a duty to put a stop to the needless waste of human lives in certain parts of the country. It should never be allowed to assume a national proportion, a development which certainly will put the future of our nation in jeopardy”.
Noting that NIREC had held deliberations in Abuja, Enugu, Maiduguri, Lagos, Kano, Jos and Port-Harcourt over the years to find lasting solutions to religious and communal disaffection, he said the Ibadan meeting should become a watershed in our resolve to be on top of the situation.
The eyes of the world, he stressed, were on Nigeria, particularly in an election year which would prove convincingly our commitment to democracy and rule of law.
To him, “We have demonstrated to the international community that we are at the vanguard of democratic practice and ideals and ready and willing to defend it. By allowing religious and communal strive to scuttle democracy and good governance, our avowed commitment to freedom at all levels will be a fluke, he said.
He concluded that we should not allow recent developments in some parts of the country to frustrate our future efforts but rather accept it as a challenge to find lasting solutions to the problem.
