Tinubu: No difference worth breaking Nigeria apart

President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to preserve the unity of the country despite their differences, stressing the need for dialogue to sustain Nigeria as a united nation.

 

Tinubu, 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.

 

The President said his administration remained committed to addressing the country’s security challenges and promoting peace through collaboration with other nations.

 

He said, “Not only that, the government is determined to make sure that we remain united as a country, despite our differences, whatever the differences may be. We should talk and remain in this country, and allow this country to remain a united nation, a united country.”

 

Tinubu described the conference as timely, given the security challenges confronting the world, and expressed optimism that its deliberations would contribute to sustainable peace in Nigeria, Africa and beyond.

 

He also commended the Muslim World League for partnering JIBWIS and choosing Nigeria as the first country to host the conference.

 

In his remarks, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, warned political leaders against exploiting religion and ethnicity for political gains.

 

Yilwatda said Nigeria’s diversity should be a source of strength rather than division, stressing that religious and ethnic differences should not undermine the shared humanity and common destiny of Nigerians.

 

Reflecting on his experience as a displaced person during the Bauchi crisis, he said violence did not discriminate between Christians and Muslims.

 

“When violence comes, it does not ask whether you are a Christian or a Muslim before it destroys either your home, or your humanity, or your dignity,” he said.

 

He said his experience in an internally displaced persons’ camp taught him that Nigerians could worship differently while sharing the same fears, aspirations and destiny.

 

“We may worship differently. Or we may suffer together. We dream together. We can build together. And ultimately, we can rise and fall together,” he said.

 

The APC chairman urged politicians to resist weaponising religion and ethnicity, warning that temporary political gains could cause lasting damage to the country.

 

“To our political leaders, let us resist the temptation to exploit religion or ethnicity for sentiments, and sentiments for temporary political advantage.

 

“No political victory is worth the permanent damage inflicted on our nation, and we’ve been seeing it every day,” Yilwatda said.

 

He also urged religious leaders to use their influence to promote peace and reconciliation rather than hatred and division.

 

“You as religious leaders, let our mosques and our churches become centres of peace, of reconciliation, and responsible citizenship,” he said.

 

Yilwatda called on religious leaders to “preach faith without hatred, conviction without contempt, and truth without incitement,” while urging traditional rulers to prioritise dialogue and reconciliation over retaliation.

 

He further called for a collective commitment by religious and political leaders, traditional institutions and citizens to reject hate speech and protect vulnerable communities.

 

“We will not use religion to justify violence, and we will reject hate speeches where it comes from a pulpit, or a mosque, or the palace, or a political platform, or the keyboard of our social media,” he said.

 

The APC chairman urged Nigerians to build a country where people protect one another irrespective of their religious or ethnic backgrounds.

 

“Not because we share the same faith or ethnicity, but because we share the same humanity,” he said.

 

He said Nigeria must choose peace to ensure that future generations inherit schools, homes and opportunities rather than displacement camps and memories of violence.

 

Also speaking, the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council urged Nigerians to reject attempts to weaponise religion, ethnicity and poverty to create division.

 

The Executive Secretary of NIREC, Prof Cornelius Omonokhua, said Christians and Muslims must promote mercy, compassion, love and respect for human dignity.

 

“No one is created a Christian, and no one is created a Muslim. We are created as human beings; hence what binds us together is humanity,” Omonokhua said.

 

He said religion must not be used to justify violence, noting that both Christianity and Islam uphold the sanctity of human life.

 

“We should never allow anybody to weaponise religion or ethnicity or poverty to turn us against each other. May God give us security and may we continue to live in peace and harmony,” he added.

 

Omonokhua said NIREC had continued to promote human dignity, the common good and the welfare of Nigerians through cooperation between Christians and Muslims.

 

The Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chairman of NIREC, Sa’ad Abubakar III, called for greater implementation of resolutions reached at conferences, saying Nigeria did not lack solutions to its problems.

 

“We don’t lack solutions to our problems. What we lack is implementation. How to implement whatever we agree to do,” the Sultan said.

 

He also urged Christians and Muslims to refrain from insulting one another.

 

“Christians should stop insulting Muslims. Muslims should stop insulting Christians, and that’s how we live in peace,” he said.

 

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 to help Nigeria and West Africa prevent religious tensions from escalating into violence.

 

Also present were ministers, governors, religious leaders, traditional rulers and other dignitaries.