This week continues the series on insecurity in Nigeria
Members of the Committee last met in Ado-Ekiti for the last gubernatorial election in Ekiti State. The third body is the inter-religious council. The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) is a voluntary association that was made up of fifty (50) members (25 Christians and 25 Muslims), formed by the representatives of the two principal religions — that is, Christianity and Islam in Nigeria — on the 11th day of September, 1999. This figure was, however, reviewed in March 2019 to give room to accommodate more women and youth. The membership now stands at thirty (30) Christians and thirty (30) Muslims, making a total number of sixty (60).
The establishment of NIREC was occasioned by the incessant ethno-religious crises which punctuated the sociopolitical landscape of Nigeria as a country. NIREC, also known as a Council, is a permanent and independent body established to provide religious leaders and traditional rulers with a viable forum to promote greater interaction and understanding among the leadership and their followers, as well as lay foundations for sustainable peace and religious harmony in the country.
The council was co-ordinated by the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Ufot Ekaette (17 April 1939 – 25 September 2019), my then boss. Till today, the council is under the office of the SGF. I remember in August 1999, when we had communication problems, Chief Ekaette instructed me to fly to Sokoto to meet with the late Sultan, Alhaji Muhammad Maccido Abubakar III (20 April 1928 – 29 October 2006), CFR, with a letter on the details of the establishment of the council.
The Council from inception was Co-Chaired by their Eminences, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, CFR, the then President General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), and Dr. Sunday Mbang, CON, the then Primate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria/Archbishop J. Akinola, CON, who were one-time Presidents of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), respectively. Supported and encouraged by President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, who saw the body as a wonderful project emanating from the leadership of both major faiths, NIREC was inaugurated on September 29, 1999, by President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR. The foundation National Coordinator/Executive Secretary of the Council was the then Villa Chaplain, Rev. Professor Yusuf A. Obaje.
The Federal Government under the leadership of the then President, late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, GCFR, and later President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, like their predecessor, continued with the policy of support for NIREC since 2007. Under that dispensation, NIREC was initially Co-Chaired by His Eminence Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, NSCIA, and His Grace Dr. John Onaiyekan, CON, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja and National President, CAN. Professor Is-haq Oloyede, the then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, became the National Coordinator/Executive Secretary. His Grace, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, CFR, a former CAN President, was a Co-Chair of the Council from January 2011 to 2016, while His Eminence Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo A. Ayokunle, CON, was President from 2016 to June 2022.
At present His Eminence Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General NSCIA, and His Eminence Archbishop Daniel Okoh, National President CAN, co-chair the meeting, while Fr. Prof. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua is the Executive Secretary.
All the meetings of the Council from inception were held in Abuja. However, when the present Council was reconstituted in 2007, members resolved that the meetings of the Council should rotate in the six geo-political zones of the country on a quarterly basis to impart positively on adherents of the two principal religions and to further promote religious tolerance, peaceful co-existence, ethical values and good governance in the country. At such meetings, all traditional rulers/religious leaders as well as the governors and opinion leaders in the zone were expected to attend the formal opening ceremony and interactive session with the Council. The host governor normally sends invitations to the above leaders as well as his colleagues, honourable ministers and members of the National Assembly from the zone.
In inaugurating the council, President Obasanjo said, “It is regrettable that in spite of our religiosity, Nigerian society is highly prone to unacceptable behaviours of various shade and coloration. In other words, our religiosity is devoid of genuine spirituality. Nigeria, indeed, is a country of diversity not only of religion but also of culture and even of natural resources.
To be continued
Eric Teniola, a former director at the Presidency wrote from Lagos.
