Greetings of peace and blessing from URI-Africa.
This is to inform you that URI-Africa took part in the international conference on the theme of “Faith Works Africa: Partnership for Peace and Prosperity” held in Abuja, Nigeria from October 18 to 20, 2016.
The conference was co-hosted by the African Council of Religious Leaders, GHR Foundation, USAID, Religions for Peace and The Global Women of Faith Network, under the auspices of His Eminence Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan and His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto.
The conference gathered 300 religious leaders and heads of FBOs to explore activity and contributions to peace and prosperity. A resolution unanimously adopted by the assembly called for interreligious collaboration to end extreme poverty and to address the underlying causes of violent extremism.
The theme of the conference reflects the continent’s search for the much-needed peace and stresses the need for inter-faith dialogue. Most of the speakers highlighted that dialogue remains the best panacea for the attainment of peace, stressing that if African political, religious and community leaders constantly engage in dialogue, incidences of violence would be reduced, while peace takes a premium position in the continent.
The Vice-President of Nigeria H.E. Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at a dinner preceding the conference, said, “Religion should be a means of fostering togetherness and progress of societies.” He also charged clerics on the need to de-legitimize all the people who preach hatred among their followers. “It is crucial that we de-legitimatize all apostles of hatred and bad creed,”’ he stressed. The Vice President vowed that the Nigerian government would do everything possible to continue promoting a culture of peace and to protect everybody irrespective of creed, tribe and religion.
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, while addressing the gathering, urged the religious leaders to involve themselves more in strengthening dialogue and mutual understanding. He pointed out that strong dialogue and understanding are proven to be capable of reducing the level of violence in society and fostering peace in the world. He explained that about 85% of people in the continent acknowledge that religion is important, and so should be used as the major catalyst to foster peace and understanding.
On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III expressed the hope that Nigeria would overcome its socio-economic and political challenges soon. He noted that the conference primarily aimed at promoting peaceful co-existence among the adherents of different religions globally, and in Africa particularly.
May Peace Prevail on Earth.
