The Search for Common Ground (SFCG-Nigeria) has urged leaders at all levels to de-politicise religion and ethnicity in ongoing efforts to resolve root causes of conflicts in the country.

The National Conflict and Policy Analyst at SFCG-Nigeria, Mr Andy Nkemneme, made the call in an interview on the sidelines of the 2nd annual National Steering Committee meeting with religious actors in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that SFCG-Nigeria National Steering Committee on Promoting and Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief Project is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Abuja.

The project, which was inaugurated two years ago, is focused on preventing violence and safeguarding individuals from being targeted due to their faith or religious beliefs.

Nkemneme said that all stakeholders must stop radicalising and politicising religion as it should be seen as a personal relationship with God.

He said that the government must fulfill its constitutional responsibility in protecting life and property.

He emphasised fundamental freedoms as enshrined in Section 38 of the Constitution which guarantees the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

Nkemneme also cautioned against the misrepresentation of criminal activities as religious violence, citing instances where banditry and kidnapping were falsely labelled as faith-based attacks, thus escalating tensions.

“We politicise religion, we radicalise religion, we do various things with religion in the country.

“At the end of the day, you are not solving the problem because religion might not be the problem.

“To some of us, we even believe that Nigeria has no religious problem, we find out that our politicians, our leaders, use religion to get to their ends and that is a big challenge to us.

“Our call to the government is to look beyond politics when it comes to conflicts in the country,” he said.

He said the cost of conflict is so much and so deep that society needs to look at the real causes to avoid missing the point.

“So the government should go beyond politicising issues and try to solve the problems by looking at the root causes of the problem,” he said.

The analyst said SFCG-Nigeria had in two years of its existence, recorded and addressed over 635 cases of religious-related violations.

According to him, this was done through a comprehensive response system involving early warning mechanisms and a network of community monitors.

Also speaking, a cleric, Pastor Ade Kunle, emphasised the need to encourage tolerance and understanding among religious practitioners.

He said that people should learn to understand issues from the other person’s perspective, saying that religion is a personal thing.

According to him, almost everybody under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) belongs to one religion or the other.

He explained that if anyone wants a vehicle fixed or a plumber, he does not ask what religion the technician practices nor does he confirm the region of a pilot before boarding a plane.

In his remarks, Alhaji Muhammad Khalid, a Muslim cleric, observed that people fight, kill and destroy property in the name of differences of culture, religion and sometimes in differences of economic pursuance.

Khalid who is popularly known as “Digital Imam” said that the SFCG-Nigeria initiative was important as it creates a forum where people learn to protect and promote rights of religion, learn to tolerate one another and identify and resolve early signs of violence.

“I am appealing to the government to make sure that this kind of programme will be sustainable, and I am appealing to the citizens not to wait for the government.

“We have well-meaning Nigerians who are concerned about peace in the country. Let them search for organisations and programmes that will build and promote peace in Nigeria, like the Search for Common Ground.

“We have seen what they are doing, and we can sustain their programmes or collaborate with the foreign donors and support them,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Yakubu Uba