Group calls for religious harmony in Nigeria, honours Dogara, Geidam, others
- The religious tension that comes up most times in Nigeria has been a source for concern
- A non-profit organisation, UFUK dialogue, is pushing the narrative for religious harmony
- The group is optimistic that Nigeria's conflict can be turned into a long lasting cooperation
A non-profit organisation, UFUK dialogue, has said that it is possible to transform conflict into cooperation in Nigeria if all stakeholders in the polity work towards peace building.
The organisation which recently conferred a peace award on some prominent Nigerians, including speaker of the House of Representatives Honourable Yakubu Dogara, Yobe state governor Ibrahim Geidam, among others, is mainly concerned with the opinion and information exchange between ethnic, cultural, religious and ideological entities to nurture mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence.
In his opening remark during the awarding ceremony held in Abuja, the president of UFUK Dialogue, Kamil Kemanci, said dialogue and peaceful coexistence has always been and remains a need, a necessity, and a must for Nigeria to have a healthy and more productive society.
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“With dialogue, it is possible to transform conflict into co-operation. This interfaith dialogue seeks to realize religion’s basic oneness and unity, and the universality of belief Islam and Christianity all come from the same root, have almost the same essentials, and are nourished from the same source,” he noted
Kemanci further reiterated that “for everyone to live peacefully, it is important for individuals to rise above differences that drive us apart and that go beyond any ideology or political system, and above any religious movement or religious authority.”
This year’s edition, which is the 6th in the series, saw various individuals rewarded for their contributions to peace in Nigeria.
A posthumous award was also given to the late Reverend Musa Asake, the former secretary general of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) who passed on recently.
Others include the publisher of Leadership newspaper Sam Nda Isaiah, minister of foreign affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, chairman editorial board of This Day newspaper Segun Adeniyi and executive director of Daily Trust newspaper Manir Dan-Ali.
Regional Pastor E. Aibitayo Central Parish (RCCG), Professor Shehu Ahmad Sa’id CFR Murshid National Mosque Abuja, Nafisah M. Monguno, Professor Sambo Wali Junaid Wazirin Sokoto, Ikeogu Oke, and Maryam Lemu were also amongst those who received awards under various categories.
This year’s awards ceremony had in attendance personalities like the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Mugono; Yobe state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Geidam; representatives of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari; as well as representatives of the speaker of the Federal House of Representatives and various ministries and agencies.
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Meanwhile, presidential aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (KTT), has charged Nigerians to stand up and ensure that democracy is not endangered as a result of the action or inaction of any person or group of persons that have come to reap where they have not sowed.
KTT, in a statement sent to Legit.ng, expressed hope that Nigeria can and, indeed, will be great again “with an honest, selfless, listening, committed and focused leadership that will treat us fairly and equally, irrespective of our beliefs, creed, and/or the circumstances of our birth.”
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Source: Legit.ng
