The Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chair of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), Sa’ad Abubakar III, has asked religious leaders to stop promoting peace in public while spreading bitterness in private.
The Sultan said this at the Second Tri-Annual Meeting of NIREC in Abuja on Tuesday, noting that the peaceful atmosphere at the meeting reflected how Nigerians live as people created by one God.
He emphasised that NIREC remains the best platform for honest religious dialogue, but worried that many leaders speak well about unity during meetings only to turn around and say negative things when they leave.
“Many years ago, when I walked in here, the atmosphere was very, very friendly, loving, and anybody seeing the discussion, conversations, chats going on, would definitely know that everybody here was in a happy mood. Now, unless something is wrong somewhere, I think we need to ask ourselves.
“The mood we’ve all been in since morning, since we came in here, is the mood that we should be sending out to the world, not only to Nigeria, how we live, as people of one destiny, created by one heart, thrown into a country called Nigeria, as brothers, as sisters.
“We sit down and say so many good things to one another and about one another about our religions, knowing that God is the sole, owner of our lives, of the heaven and earth and everything that’s there. And then when we come out, away from our comfort zone, away from such meetings, we say all sorts of negative things to one another. Sometimes we wonder, are we really honest with ourselves?” he queried.
The royal father warned that such behaviour harms the country and questions the sincerity of faith leaders.
He noted that some leaders were no longer serious about the inter-religious collaboration, stressing that NIREC must decide whether to continue as designed by its founders or adjust its work.
He said dialogue remains the only path to peace, adding that religious leaders must stop acting as if Nigerians are enemies.
Also speaking, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Co-Chair of NIREC, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said the meeting was happening at a difficult time when insecurity continued to threaten national unity and deepen fear across many communities.
He added that banditry, kidnappings, extremism, and other crimes were causing deaths, displacement, and economic hardship, stressing that the situation was weakening trust and pushing more families into poverty.
“The daily loss of innocent lives is alarming and heartbreaking. Families are mourning, communities are being deserted, and citizens are increasingly anxious about their safety at home, on farms, on highways, and even in places of worship.
Beyond the human tragedy, insecurity is crippling our economy,” he said
He noted that faith institutions remained trusted voices that could calm tensions and promote peace, even as he called for stronger cooperation between government and religious bodies to help rebuild stability and restore hope.
On his part, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said the theme of the meeting, ‘Promoting Peace Through Collaboration: The Role of Inter-Religious Councils and Government in Nigeria,’ was timely.
He noted that the discussions came at a period when the country was facing pressure from insecurity, political tensions, and declining mutual trust.
The SGF said President Bola Tinubu had asked him to restate the government’s commitment to security, unity, and stronger collaboration with faith leaders.
He added that the Federal Government appreciated the work of NIREC in stabilising communities and would continue to support its peacebuilding programmes.
“The work of this special gathering has continued to contribute to the peace, stability and continuing existence of this country, and he remains grateful for your resilience, commitment, sacrifice and patriotism,” he said.
Senator Akume noted that NIREC remained a vital partner in strengthening dialogue and addressing national concerns, adding that both government and religious leaders would continue to work together to rebuild trust among citizens and promote unity.
