The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged religious leaders across Nigeria to promote peace and reconciliation rather than hatred and division.
Yilwatda made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking at an International Conference on National Security for Socio-economic Development organised by Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), in partnership with the Muslim World League of Saudi Arabia.
He said Nigeria’s religious, ethnic and cultural diversity should be seen as a strength rather than a reason for conflict.
Yilwatda said his personal experience had shaped his belief that people of different faiths could live together peacefully.
“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,” he said.
He recalled growing up in a community where his father, a pastor, had a close relationship with the local chief imam. He said the two families visited each other regularly and celebrated religious festivals together despite their different faiths.
According to him, such relationships showed that religious differences should not create “human distances and separation”.
Yilwatda also spoke about the violence his family experienced after his father was transferred to Bauchi in 1991. He said their home and neighbourhood were burnt during the crisis, forcing both Christians and Muslims to seek safety in military barracks.
The APC chairman said he later spent about three months in an internally displaced persons’ camp, where he witnessed how violence affected people regardless of their religion.
He warned that Nigeria continues to face threats such as terrorism, banditry, communal violence, ethnic tensions, religious intolerance and hate speech.
Yilwatda also criticised politicians who exploit religious and ethnic sentiments for political advantage.
“We weaponise religion. We weaponise division for political advantage. Temporary advantage, but it leaves permanent damage in our lives,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to ensure that their religious beliefs encourage respect for the dignity and freedom of people from other faiths.
The APC chairman 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.
Yilwatda said Nigeria should work towards a society where Christians and Muslims protect one another and defend the dignity of every citizen, regardless of religious or ethnic differences.
‘Preach truth without hatred’ – APC Chairman Yilwatda urges religious leaders