President Bola Tinubu has urged Christians and Muslims across Nigeria to strengthen their unity, warning that peaceful coexistence between the two major faiths is essential to tackling insecurity and building a stable country ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Tinubu made the call on Tuesday at an International Conference on Security and National Unity organised by Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS Nigeria) in partnership with the Muslim World League. The president, who was represented by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, said Nigeria must turn its religious and cultural diversity into a source of strength rather than division.
He said the conference came at a time when Nigeria and other countries were dealing with complex security threats. Tinubu assured participants that the Federal Government remained committed to improving national security while working with other countries and international organisations to support peace.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also called on Nigerians to put aside religious, ethnic and political differences in confronting insecurity. He warned that allowing these divisions to dominate national life could make the country’s security problems even harder to solve.
The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, reaffirmed his organisation’s opposition to extremism and support for religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue. JIBWIS Chairman Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau similarly urged religious leaders to use their influence to promote reconciliation rather than division.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, called for honest and sustained dialogue between Christians and Muslims. He urged both communities to stop insulting one another, arguing that trust and sincerity were necessary to address Nigeria’s wider problems.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua, said humanity should remain the strongest bond between followers of both faiths. He warned against weaponising religion and ethnicity, stressing that Christians and Muslims should not be treated as enemies.
The debate also extended to politics and the 2027 elections. APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda warned politicians against exploiting religious and ethnic identities for electoral advantage, while Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria President Bishop Wale Oke called for decisive action against religious extremism, criminality and political manipulation. Oke also urged Nigerians to demand an impartial electoral process and a neutral INEC as the country prepares for another major election.
