Government Urges Christian and Muslim Clerics to Promote Peace and Unity

The Federal Government has called on Christian and Muslim clerics across the country to dedicate their sermons and public platforms to promoting peace, mutual tolerance, and national unity.

Delivering the charge in Abuja during an interfaith prayer session held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, emphasized the vital role of faith leaders in maintaining social stability. She urged religious figures to strictly avoid hate speech, inflammatory rhetoric, and doctrines that incite division or intolerance among citizens.

Mahmoud highlighted that places of worship—whether churches or mosques—must remain sacred sanctuaries of moral guidance, compassion, and brotherhood. She noted that Nigeria’s rich cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity should serve as a source of national strength rather than a catalyst for conflict.

Commending the organizers for bringing leaders of different faiths together, the minister noted that interfaith dialogue and collective prayer have consistently helped navigate the country through challenging periods. She encouraged religious bodies nationwide to sustain community engagement, ensuring that places of worship actively foster harmony, civic responsibility, and peaceful coexistence.