APC Chair Urges Religious Leaders to Foster Peace in Places of Worship

Nentawe Yilwatda, the national chairperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on religious leaders to turn churches and mosques into centres of peace. He said faith should encourage human dignity, tolerance, and peaceful living, instead of spreading hatred and division.

Yilwatda made this statement on Tuesday at the opening of an international conference focused on security and national unity. The conference is organized by Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS Nigeria) in collaboration with the Muslim World League from Saudi Arabia. The theme is ‘Diversity and Social Peace: Partnership for a Promising Future.’

According to PREMIUM TIMES, the conference will end on Wednesday and brings together religious leaders from both Muslim and Christian communities, scholars, and representatives from Saudi Arabia and other African nations.

Reflecting on his personal experiences with religious diversity and communal violence, Yilwatda urged religious leaders to use their influence to build peaceful relations among Nigerians of different faiths.

“Let us preach faith without hatred, conviction without contempt, and truth without incitement,” he stated.

“We can preach truth without inciting people. That’s the whole way of teaching as a religious leader,” the APC national leader added.

Nigeria has been facing rising violence from banditry, insurgency, communal clashes, and farmers-herders disputes. Many of these conflicts are often linked to ethnic and religious differences.

Yilwatda argued that religious differences should not weaken the shared humanity of Nigerians. He insisted that faith should urge believers to protect the lives and dignity of people with different beliefs.

“Can we truly change the people of faith if our faith does not compel us to protect the life and dignity and freedom of those who worship differently from us?” he asked.

He continued, “If your religion does not protect the dignity of all human life, then we are not acting in religion.”

Yilwatda shared how his understanding of peaceful living was influenced by his childhood in Yola, Adamawa State. His father was a pastor who had a close friendship with a Muslim leader.

He noted that the two families visited each other and celebrated religious events together. This taught him that religious differences should not stop people from forming strong bonds.

He also talked about experiencing communal violence in Bauchi, where his family lost their home and belongings during the crisis.

He said this experience showed that violence done in the name of religion ultimately hurts everyone, regardless of faith.

“Sometimes they commit it in the name of religion, but I don’t believe they spare anybody. Sometimes it’s committed in the name of tribal diversity. I believe it spares nobody. All of us are victims,” he said.

Yilwatda stated that his experience of being displaced also taught him that Nigerians have more in common than their religious differences might suggest.

“We have different places of worship and different religions, but in that moment of suffering, none of these different places will protect anyone,” he noted.

“We may worship differently, but we suffer together. We dream together. We can build together, and ultimately, we can rise and fall together.”

He urged political leaders not to take advantage of religion and ethnicity for their own gains. He also called on traditional rulers to use their influence to promote dialogue and reduce suspicion.

Yilwatda encouraged Nigerians to be cautious about spreading claims that could worsen religious and ethnic divides.

He said Nigeria should aim for a society where everyone protects each other, no matter their religious identity.

He urged Nigerians to build a country where children inherit schools, homes, and opportunities instead of displacement camps and painful memories of violence.

He concluded by calling on Nigerians to choose peace over violence and work together to create a more united nation.