Lagos charts the course for interreligious harmony and peaceful coexistence

Muslim, Christian dignitaries and key stakeholders gathered in Lagos for a 3-day interfaith discussion to brainstorm on how to chart a new course towards interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence.

The event, titled “Interfaith Talks for 2021”, was organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide the Executive Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, an opportunity to brief religious leaders on government policies, programs and other pressing issues, enabling free flow of information among citizens through the pulpits for better understanding, compliance and support.

The Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, thanked the religious communities for contributing to their collective achievements in over two and a half years in government.

According to him, “the meeting was initially planned to be held earlier than now but due to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic which peaked last year and following the #EndSARS protest against police brutality.”

The essence of the talks on ‘Achieving Greater Lagos: The Role of Religious Bodies’, the Deputy Governor said, was a meeting of religious leaders to discuss ways to take the state forward and the role that religious leaders should continue to play in upholding peaceful coexistence, religious harmony and tolerance among believers in the state.

In his welcome speech, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, said that the bitter experience of the #EndSARS protest has greatly questioned the role of parents and religious leaders.

Elegushi said the gathering was expected to be devoted to issues of character development and formation, the need for moral integrity and the fear of God. He called on religious leaders to continue to close ranks and curb the excesses of exuberant preachers who find it convenient to create hostility among people.

“Our weekly sermons on unity, peace and love must resonate every week, while obedience to the rule of law and commitment to our project in Lagos must remain sacred.

“The teaching we provide on a regular basis must give priority to issues of national importance.

“The essence of our meeting is to ensure that our religious bodies are better organized and decisions made by government are cascaded from one community to another, particularly in the case of our Local Governments and Local Government Development Areas.

“This is because we have discovered that government information and decisions are barely heard from the pulpits. Therefore, Wwme believes that this partnership will enrich and help in the governance of the country at all levels,” Elegushi said.

Commenting on the issue from a Christian perspective, National Director, Fishermen Maximum Productivity Ministries/National Director, Education, Dialogue and Value System Initiatives, Rev. Dr. Kehinde Babarinde, said religious leaders must be the guide. “If the religious organization does not regain its prophetic zeal,” Babarinde said, “it will become an irrelevant social club, devoid of moral and spiritual authority.”

He urged the clerics to work with both non-governmental organizations and the state government to find a way to rehabilitate miscreants in Lagos and develop plans to restore the state’s value system.

“It is time to synergize with the Lagos State Government in conducting an empirical assessment of the impact of miscreants in Lagos. We must equally look for ways to rehabilitate street boys and girls. Finally, we must develop plans to rebuild our value system,” he added.
Commenting on elements of greater Lagos from an Islamic perspective, Dr. Sa’eed Ahmad, Head of the Department of Surgery (Alimosho General Hospital, Lagos), said:

“Greatness must be achieved in terms of collective prosperity. Material well-being within the legal framework is the right of every citizen of a big city. There must be a system that guarantees material well-being for those who will legally seek it,” he explained.

The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Lagos State, Bishop Adegbite, has commended the Lagos State Government for coming up with the program, saying: “It is very important that such gatherings take place given the level of insecurity in the country. You will agree with me that virtually every state is no longer safe. For now, there is uncertainty in every part of our country except Lagos.

“But the relative peace we enjoy in Lagos must continue. And we need to strengthen it. That is why we do not take anything for granted in Lagos.”
The National Missionary of Ansar-Ud-Deen, one of the leading Islamic organizations in Nigeria, has urged the government to urgently address the problem of hunger in the land, adding that the prices of basic commodities are increasing day by day.

According to him: “People don’t have jobs. They are hungry; They are furious. Every day brings challenges. The government also needs to be sensitive to this. Moreover, this is not the time to further increase the economic burden on citizens. They are already burdened.

“In fact, they are overloaded. Rising prices for government services and necessities will only deepen the frustration and suffering of the masses. These are some of our expectations of government, and they are very basic indeed. Fix the roads, fix the security, don’t increase the prices especially of food and basic amenities, address the growing tension in the country.”

Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), prof. Ishaq Akintola said censoring extravagant lifestyles is necessary to prevent the social lures that have made such lifestyles fashionable.
He said that if the sources of wealth and excessive spending of people are censored, honesty will be established.
Akintola said that moral censorship should be the basis of a healthy society.

“Our youth imitate what older generations do and easily internalize such social deformations.
Director of Hijab Rights Initiatives, Hajiah Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, stated
that Nigerians, regardless of religion and tribe, must adapt to each other and understand individual religious differences.

According to her, “If you understand your neighbors’ beliefs and why they stand on certain issues, you can connect with them better. That is why interfaith dialogue is very important. We can only hope that it won’t be just talk without action. We expect the Ministry and Government to take up this, perhaps creating smaller groups where people can engage more closely with issues that continually arise in society and identify practical ways to address them.