The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in collaboration with faith-based organisations and other stakeholders, engaged in a crucial dialogue on Tuesday to establish mechanisms aimed at curbing religious intolerance and promoting the rights to belief and worship for all citizens in the country.
The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN, and Project Coordinator, Hajiya Halima Oyedele, underscored the importance of mutual tolerance among different religious groups and emphasised that respect for each other’s beliefs and religion is essential for national harmony.
They spoke in Abuja during the public presentation of the survey report on violations of freedom of religion and beliefs in some selected states in Nigeria developed by the Commission in partnership with the Kukah Center and NAFSAT with support from the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz international centre for interreligious and intercultural dialogue.
In his speech, the NHRC boss appealed to the conscience of the Citizens of the country to avoid fanning the embers of discrimination and hatred for any religion.
Ojukwu said, the Constitution allows every person to enjoy freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
The NHRC boss wondered why the Country has continued to witness avoidable cases of religious intolerance, which in some cases led to the killing of innocent Citizens and the destruction of valuable properties with reckless abandon.
Ojukwu said the Commission is always making efforts to ensure the full protection of the right to freedom of religion and belief as well as the protection of other rights in line with its establishment mandate.
He said the survey is designed to entrench and deepen a culture of respect for freedom of religion and beliefs in Nigeria bearing in mind that anything contrary to that is inimical to peaceful coexistence and by extension, national development.
The President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar represented by Habeeb Ibrahim, called for increased freedom of religion and belief in the country.
He stressed that religion is a matter of personal choice and highlighted the need for respect for each other’s religion, belief and cultural practices.
Also speaking, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, His Eminence Daniel Oko said, the diversity in, “Our belief should be an asset to the country”.
He said, if God had wanted one religion in the country, he would have done so and said, there is no other choice than respecting each other’s religion.
The CAN boss lamented that there are states where you cannot get a Certificate of Occupancy to build a church or mosque because of the believe in a particular faith.
The event also featured the public presentation of a survey report conducted by the Kukah Centre on Freedom of Religion and Belief in Nigeria by Stephen Klanzama.
ALSO READ: Kennedy-Ohanenye lauds women’s leadership project in Kwara
The survey revealed critical insights and recommendations, including the need to promote a dialogue of life to enhance understanding and cooperation between different religious communities.
According to the pilot survey of religion issues across six states in the country, there is a need to strengthen constitutional provisions and institutions to better address issues of religious extremism.
The survey also called for the enhancement of the NHRC’s mechanisms to make them more accessible and effective for citizens, thus improving the reporting and handling of religious intolerance.
The survey also recommended that the NHRC should actively promote it’s role as a trustworthy avenue for reporting religious rights violations, through widespread awareness campaigns, collaborating with religious leaders and ensuring accessibility to the Commission.
The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu in his keynote address tasked citizens on the need to shun extremism and religious violence.
The NOA boss, in a message to the programme, stressed that section 38 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria has given the right of beliefs to every Nigerian and therefore called on all to respect the right.
