President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has called on all Nigerians irrespective of their creed
or status to desist from making inciting and inflammatory statements capable of
causing disharmony and breach of the peace in the country.The
President made this call on Monday in Abuja, when he declared open a two-day
roundtable meeting with Special Advisers on Religious Affairs from the 36
States of the Federation and the FCT.
The
meeting with the theme: Towards Synergising and Interfacing in the Religious
Sectors for National Development, was organised by the Offices of the Senior
Special Assistants to the President on Islamic and Christian Matters.
Accordingly
he said, “We should continue to assist government with prayers and positive
counselling and desist from making inciting statements and comments capable of
causing disharmony and breach of the peace. It should be noted that, by the
teaching of our faiths, we shall all account for our deeds in the hereafter. I
therefore admonish you to live by example always and to do good for the
development of our country and humanity.”
The
President, represented by the Vice President, Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo, noted
that without peace there would be no meaningful development, also stressed that
his administration would not be deterred by the lawless acts of insurgents.
“We are
working round-the-clock to transform all facets of our socio-economic and
political lives. Let me reiterate that we remain resolute in our quest to
provide positive development to Nigerians anchored on peace and harmony. We
equally remain unwavering in our commitment to bringing an end to the security
challenges confronting our dear nation,” he said.
President
Jonathan said in recognition of the importance of religion in national
development, his administration had accorded it its rightful place at the
highest level of government, by creating the two offices of the Senior Special
assistants on Islamic and Christian Affairs.
“Religion
is a guide to mankind. We must therefore apply it as a guiding light against
the backdrop of all the problems surrounding us. Religion must bring out the
best in us. We must use it toward conflict resolution, sustainable peace and
the establishment of a just and egalitarian society.”
The
President, while lauding his two assistants for spearheading the conference
called on the participants to “strive toward promoting inter-religious harmony
and dialogue at all times for peace and development to thrive as there is no
gainsaying the fact that no meaningful development can be achieved without
peace and security.”
He also
urged them to make deliberate efforts in synergizing and supporting the Federal
Government’s programmes and its commitment to ensuring the unity, peace and
progress of this great country.
In their
separate remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa'ad Abubakar III and the President
Christian Association of Nigeria, Ayo Oritsejafor stressed the importance of
religious knowledge among citizen.
The two
leaders also charged Muslim and Christian faithful in the country to believe in
one-another and the indivisibility of Nigeria as one united country.
Speaking
separately, the two SSAs to the President, Barrister Tahir Umar Tahir and
Venerable Obioma Onwuzurumba, disclosed that the meeting was aimed at further
deepening the understanding between the two major religions of their common
values and also to serve as a stepping stone for overcoming the country’s
challenges
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Politics