By Martin Paul
Abuja
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, have reiterated that the country’s co-existence in peace and unity as an indivisible nation remains sacrosanct, stressing that not even severe political crisis could
separate the people.
The duo spoke yesterday in Abuja, at the Intra-religious Meeting tagged: “Coordinate and Achieve,” organised by the Interfaith Mediation Centre in collaboration with KAICIID Dialogue Centre and Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
While the Sultan identified political crisis as one major factor that often aided and caused instability, the Archbishop agreed that constant interactions had preserved peace between the two major religions in the country.
Abubakar said politicians’ infiltration into the nation’s religious leadership, had contributed immensely to the absence of peace, advising that it’s high time “we went back memory lane. God cannot be wrong to have chosen who should be where and at what time.”
While reiterating that many Fulani herdsmen, carrying weapons when grazing their cattle were not Nigerians and should be treated as criminals, the Sultan said, Boko Haram problems could not be resolved by force, but through dialogue and education.
The monarch, a retired general in the Nigerian Army, further called for a renewed determination to address the problems of youths in the North, saying, millions of out-of-school children were watching unfolding scenarios in the country.
He advised that the decision reached at the meeting should be disseminated to the grassroots, while thorough education should be given to the youths on the need to live together in harmony, unity and peace.
On his part, Onaiyekan, while expressing appreciations to organisers of the peace talk, emphasised that Nigerians, irrespective of religious beliefs, had been living together.
He said: “I agree that the new leadership is God’s handwork for us to live together and we have been buying in the same market, work together in the same office, share the same political party and are in the same military.
“Dialogue is an avenue for interaction, where we speak and listen to each other. Therefore, our leaders have the duties of promoting this co-existence among everyone because as the Pope put it, killing in the name of God is satanic, only peace is holy.”
Also speaking, the President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Olasumbo Ayokunle, represented by Rev Oyesuji Onifade, said, CAN was ready to work with every diverse group to sustain peace in the country.
“There is inter-marriage between Christians and Muslims, southerners and northerners; therefore, we are not supposed to fight each other,” he said.
