Aminu Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano, has urged the next president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to deal forcefully with the issue of religious intolerance in the nation.
The Monarch also requested that the new administration establish a Ministry of Religious Affairs in order to address the problem or propose remedies.
The request was made at the launch of the Interfaith Conversation Facilitator’s Guide, which was held by ActionAid Nigeria to combat violent extremism. Sarkin-Dawaki Babba and Aminu Babba DanAgundi, the District Head of Nassarawa, represented the Emir of Kano.
According to him, “In the past, there is peaceful coexistence between the Muslims and Christians but things are getting worst by the day.
“During the late Premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello, peace reigned and you can hardly differentiate between a Muslim and a Christian, especially between the Muslim and Christians in Northern Nigeria.
“In the past, there was a time when we had a Muslim/Muslim ticket of M. K O. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe but didn’t meet any form of criticism that the Muslim/Muslim ticket faced now. It generated a lot of talks (for and against Muslims and Christians).
“Whether the leader is a Muslim or Christian, this shouldn’t matter, what matters is the good governance.
“We call on the President-elect to emulate Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and create a Ministry of Religious Affairs to address the issue of religious intolerance. In the last eight years in Kano, we have experienced a peaceful atmosphere in the state.
“We commend the organizers for this giant stride to bring about peaceful coexistence between the residents,” the Emir of Kano, Bayero, stated.
The Interfaith Guidebook and Facilitator’s Guide, according to ActionAid Nigeria’s Country Director Ene Obi, were created to promote peace and peaceful coexistence among Kano State’s residents regardless of their beliefs.
Suwaiba Dankabo, the National Director (Programs) for Obi, stated that the organisation created the guide in response to research it conducted that revealed a lack of interfaith harmony or dialogue, a situation in which everyone clings to their respective beliefs and cultures. However, Dankabo insisted that the publication of the guide would bring the various faiths together to communicate with and understand one another.
Dr. Mustapha Muhammad, the executive director of the Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative (DRDI-DAG) and an implementing partner, earlier stated that because violent extremism is hard to stop and spreads quickly, it is necessary to create a facilitator’s guide and put preventive measures in place.