…Calls for stronger state, religious, community action to protect Nigeria’s peace

By: Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja.

The Inter-faith Dialogue Forum for Peace Nigeria has called on the Federal Government, religious leaders, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, the media and citizens to intensify efforts to combat hate speech, misinformation and violence threatening the country’s peace and unity.

The Forum made the call on Wednesday at the 8th General Assembly of the Inter-faith Dialogue Forum for Peace Nigeria, held in Abuja, where it also launched the Inter-faith Code of Conduct (ICOC) and hosted a peace conference with the theme: “Hate Speech and Violence: The Role of State and Non-State Actors in Nation Building.”

In their joint address, the Co-Chairs of the Forum, Imam Dr. Yusuf Yakubu Arrigasiyu and Rev. Abainitus Akila Hamman Jr., said Nigeria could not afford to take peace for granted amid growing religious intolerance, ethnic suspicion, political tension, insecurity, violent extremism and social division.

They said the country’s diversity in religion, ethnicity, language, culture and political opinion should be a source of strength rather than a cause of conflict.

According to them, “words have power,” noting that while responsible communication could heal wounds, build bridges and inspire hope, hate speech could destroy trust, dehumanise people, mobilise communities against one another and create conditions for violence.

They warned that a careless statement made in a mosque, church, political gathering, community meeting or on social media could spread across the country within minutes and trigger consequences that might last for years.

The Forum said the fight against hate speech was a collective responsibility, stressing that while the State must protect citizens, uphold the rule of law and ensure justice, non-state actors also had critical roles to play in building peace.

It called on religious leaders to promote peace from the pulpit and the mosque, traditional rulers to build bridges in their communities, civil society organisations to strengthen peace education, and the media to promote responsible journalism.

The Forum also urged social media users to reject unverified information and inflammatory messages, while calling for the empowerment of young people as ambassadors of peace rather than instruments of violence.

The Co-Chairs said the newly launched Inter-faith Code of Conduct represented a major milestone in the country’s peacebuilding efforts, describing it as a commitment to responsible religious leadership, mutual respect, peaceful communication and the rejection of hate speech, incitement and violence.

They stressed that the Code must not remain a document on the shelf but should guide the words and actions of religious leaders and other stakeholders.

The Forum further appealed to embassies, diplomatic missions, international organisations, development partners and private sector organisations to increase support for community peacebuilding, interfaith dialogue, early warning and early response mechanisms, peace education, youth and women-led initiatives, community reconciliation and efforts to counter hate speech and misinformation.

It said Nigeria must move beyond responding to conflict after violence had erupted, urging stakeholders to invest more in prevention and build systems capable of identifying early warning signs and responding before crises escalated.

The Co-Chairs also expressed appreciation to the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), Arigatou International and other national and international partners for their support, coaching, mentoring and technical assistance to the Forum.

They said peacebuilding required knowledge, trained personnel, networks, technology, resources and long-term partnerships.

The Forum maintained that the future of Nigeria could not be built by government alone, religious leaders alone, politicians alone or civil society alone, but through the collective efforts of all citizens and institutions.

It urged Nigerians to reject religious bigotry, ethnic hatred, political violence and the manipulation of differences for selfish interests.

“Let us choose dialogue over violence, unity over division and hope over despair,” the Co-Chairs said, stressing that the country’s diversity could be transformed from a source of division into a source of strength.

They pledged the Forum’s renewed commitment to promoting dialogue, peaceful coexistence and sustainable peace across Nigeria, urging participants to carry the message of peace to churches, mosques, communities, schools, institutions and online platforms.

The event was attended by religious, traditional and community leaders, representatives of the Federal Government and the Federal Capital Territory Administration, members of the diplomatic community, international organisations, development partners, civil society groups and the media.