The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged religious leaders across Nigeria to promote peace and reconciliation rather than hatred, division and incitement.
Gatekeepers News reports that Yilwatda made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the International Conference on National Security for Socio-economic Development, organised by Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS Nigeria) in collaboration with the Muslim World League of Saudi Arabia.
The APC chairman said Nigeria’s religious, ethnic and cultural diversity should be seen as a source of strength rather than a cause of conflict and suspicion.
He described the country’s diversity as a daily reality shaped by its different faiths, languages, cultures and traditions, which are all connected by a shared history.
“I came here to this conversation not as a new person to diversity. I’ve experienced the painful part of diversity, and I’ve experienced the beautiful part of the same diversity,” Yilwatda said.
He recalled growing up in a community where his father, a pastor, maintained a close relationship with the local chief imam.
According to him, the relationship went beyond religious differences, with both families regularly visiting each other and celebrating religious festivities together.
Yilwatda said the experience shaped his belief that religious differences should not create “human distances and separation”, stressing that Nigerians should not be treated differently because of their faith.
He said his understanding of the devastating effects of religious and communal violence deepened after his father was transferred to Bauchi in 1991, where he witnessed a violent crisis that destroyed communities.
Yilwatda recalled that his family home and neighbourhood were burnt during the violence, forcing both Christians and Muslims who lost their homes to seek refuge in military barracks.
He said he subsequently became displaced and spent about three months in an internally displaced persons’ camp, where Christians and Muslims faced the same fear, hunger and uncertainty.
According to the APC chairman, the experience showed that violence does not discriminate based on religion, ethnicity or social status.
Yilwatda warned that Nigeria continues to face multiple security threats, including terrorism, banditry, armed conflict, communal violence, ethnic suspicion, religious intolerance, hate speech and the political manipulation of identity.
He particularly criticised politicians who exploit religious and ethnic sentiments for political gain, describing such tactics as short-term benefits that could cause lasting damage to the country.
“We weaponise religion. We weaponise division for political advantage. Temporary advantage, but it leaves permanent damage on our lives,” he said.
The APC chairman urged Nigerians to reflect on whether their religious convictions were genuinely strengthening their commitment to humanity.
He said religious teachings should encourage people to protect the dignity, freedom and lives of those who practise different faiths.
Yilwatda also called on religious leaders to make mosques and churches centres of peace, reconciliation and responsible citizenship.
“Let us preach truth without hatred, conviction without contempt, and truth without incitement. We can preach truth without inciting people. That is the hallmark of teaching as a religious leader,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to work towards building a society where Christians and Muslims protect one another and where citizens defend the dignity of their fellow Nigerians regardless of religious or ethnic differences.
