Royal father says inter-religious council risks irrelevance without sincerity
The Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chair of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), His Royal Highness Abubakar Sa’ad III, delivered a scathing warning to religious leaders regarding the persistent crisis of insecurity.
The Sultan cautioned that the Council risks completely slipping into irrelevance unless its faith leaders urgently embrace sincerity, accountability, and honest engagement with the public and one another. His stark warning was issued during the Second Tri-Annual Meeting of NIREC held in Abuja.
The sharp exchanges at the meeting involved the Sultan, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
The session featured some of the bluntest assessments of Nigeria’s escalating security situation and interfaith tensions in recent times. The Sultan spoke with unusual candor, stating that NIREC had drifted significantly from its founding purpose and needed to urgently confront internal contradictions that were weakening its overall credibility.
Religious leaders accused of expressing unity only inside meetings
The Sultan reflected on the past atmosphere of NIREC meetings, recalling a time when discussions were friendly and loving. He expressed concern that a shift had occurred, prompting him to ask attendees to question the current state of their internal harmony. He directly accused some religious leaders of exhibiting a pattern of expressing unity and goodwill while inside NIREC meetings, only to subsequently make divisive and negative comments outside the comfortable meeting zone.
He questioned the honesty of the leaders, asking pointedly, “We sit down and say so many good things to one another, knowing God owns everything. Yet, when we go out, away from our comfort zone, we begin to say negative things about one another. Are we really honest with ourselves?” He emphasized that this duplicity severely undermines the foundational stability of interfaith relations in Nigeria. The Sultan insisted that NIREC must decide whether to continue “in name only,” completely overhaul its operations, or return to its original ethical mandate.
Dialogue remains the most reliable pathway to peace
The Sultan praised Cardinal John Onaiyekan for consistently exemplifying sincerity and moral consistency, recalling their partnership since the early days of NIREC. He noted that many members fail to relay the critical resolutions and agreements reached in NIREC to their respective communities. This failure leaves the public unaware of the collective efforts being made to ease prevailing tensions and promote harmony.
Drawing on his military background, the Sultan stressed that dialogue, not force, remains the most reliable and enduring pathway to achieving sustainable peace. He posed a rhetorical question: “As a military man, I know that no matter how much force you apply, you still return to dialogue at the end if you want harmony and peace. If you know you can achieve peace without fighting a war, why fight?” He further emphasized that cooperation across faith lines does not require any member to compromise their religious identity or core beliefs.
CAN demands stronger action against alarming violence
Concurrently, CAN President Archbishop Daniel Okoh issued a severe warning that Nigeria had entered a perilous phase of violence. This phase is marked by widespread mass abductions, rampant banditry, and extremist attacks that now directly threaten the very cohesion of the Nigerian nation. He described the daily loss of innocent lives as both “alarming and heartbreaking.”
Archbishop Okoh noted that families are mourning, entire communities are being deserted, and citizens are experiencing increasing levels of anxiety about their basic safety. While acknowledging the efforts of the government, he urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intensify security responses to a level proportional to the severity of the crisis. He stressed that faith institutions are indispensable to peacebuilding due to their deep grassroots reach, strong moral authority, and trusted presence within communities.
Justice must anchor peace and accountability is crucial
Archbishop Okoh stated that faith-based organizations hold immense potential for strengthening security and sustaining peace because they act as “natural bridges to the hearts and minds of citizens.” He firmly added that sustainable peace must always be anchored in the principles of justice and accountability. The CAN President demanded that perpetrators of violence, as well as those who finance or encourage them, must be swiftly held accountable under the law.
He also called for comprehensive support and rehabilitation programs for victims who have suffered greatly from the violence and insecurity. The Sultan concluded his remarks by calling for a comprehensive self-audit within NIREC, stating that the era of superficial camaraderie and pretense was over. He urged members to remain in session until tangible measures capable of restoring the Council’s relevance were collectively agreed upon.
Federal government counters claims of religious persecution
In response to the domestic and international criticism, SGF Senator George Akume rejected what he described as misleading global claims that Nigeria is experiencing religious genocide. He argued that such narratives distort the true nature of the security crisis and complicate essential diplomatic efforts. Senator Akume insisted that the crisis affects both major religious groups equally.
He noted that both Christian and Muslim communities have suffered devastating, non-discriminatory attacks across several states. Senator Akume criticized the international framing of Nigeria’s violence as purely faith-driven, asserting that “Both Christians and Muslims have been victims of mass killings.” He reaffirmed the administration’s full support for NIREC’s efforts and announced a new US–Nigeria Joint Working Group on Security, which will actively seek input from religious leaders.
