ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians to strengthen national unity and peaceful coexistence, saying greater community collaboration is essential to tackling insecurity and achieving sustainable development.
Tinubu, represented by Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, made the call on Tuesday at the International Conference on “Diversity and Social Peace: A Partnership for a Promising Future” in Abuja, Vanguard reports.
The two-day conference was organised by the Muslim World League (MWL) in collaboration with Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) Nigeria.
The President said the conference came at a critical period when Nigeria and the wider world were confronted with multifaceted security challenges.
He urged participants to use the platform to examine emerging threats and develop practical approaches capable of promoting lasting peace in Nigeria, Africa and beyond.
Tinubu said his administration remained committed to keeping Nigeria united despite the country’s differences, urging citizens to work together to preserve national cohesion.
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He also encouraged participants to draw from the international nature of the conference to exchange experiences and ideas that could contribute to efforts aimed at restoring sustainable regional, continental and global peace.
He commended the organisers for choosing Nigeria to host the conference, expressing confidence that its resolutions would strengthen peace and security.
Speaking at the event, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, said Nigeria was not short of solutions to its challenges but needed greater commitment to implementing decisions reached through dialogue.
According to him, sustained engagement and collective discussion would strengthen national unity and help Nigerians find common solutions to their problems.
The Sultan urged religious leaders and other stakeholders to deepen dialogue, build mutual trust and identify areas of common ground in addressing the country’s challenges.
He also called for stronger Christian-Muslim relations through the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), stressing that religious differences should not be allowed to undermine national unity.
Also speaking, APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, described Nigeria’s diversity as a strength rather than a source of division.
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Yilwatda, who spoke from his experience of communal conflict and displacement, said differences in religion should not prevent Nigerians from recognising their shared humanity and common interests.
He urged religious leaders to preach faith without hatred and truth without incitement, while calling on political leaders to avoid exploiting religion and ethnicity for political advantage.
“No political victory is worth the permanent damage inflicted on a nation,” he said.
Yilwatda also urged Nigerians to reject hate speech and protect vulnerable communities and places of worship regardless of religious or ethnic differences.
The Executive Secretary of NIREC, Rev. Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua, said humanity remained the strongest bond among Nigerians despite their religious differences.
Omonokhua maintained that religion should promote mercy, compassion and love rather than division, warning against the weaponisation of religion, ethnicity and poverty.
He said NIREC would continue to promote human dignity, the common good and peaceful coexistence through collaboration between Christian and Muslim leaders.