The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Sunday, advised Nigerians not to allow politicians to manipulate them by peddling hate and bigotry for their vested interests.
He also said that inter-faith dialogue would enhance efforts being made to entrench peace in the country.
The Sultan gave the advice in a statement issued by the Country Representative of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Mr. Dickson Omoregie.
The ICD was founded in 1999 as an International Non-Governmental Organisation with headquarters in Berlin, Germany.
A copy of the statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja noted that Abubakar made the remark at an international symposium titled, “Promotion of World Peace Through Inter-Faith Dialogue’’ organised by the ICD in Rome.
The Sultan added, “Nigerians must not allow themselves to be manipulated by politicians who wish to use us to peddle hate and bigotry to attain their vested interests.
“Most of our ethno-religious crises in Nigeria are perpetrated by our inability to have sufficient courage to say no and say to them `count me out.’
“It is essential that we come together to face the challenges of building a just and equitable society.”
Abubakar also flayed external inducement of inter-faith dialogue, especially after a crisis in the country.
He said, “We must build the requisite leadership that has the courage and the foresight to initiate and sustain meaningful and productive inter-faith dialogue.
“Our experience in Nigeria has been that we engage in inter-faith dialogue only after a crisis.
“This dialogue is usually with the specific goal of calming tempers and trading blame.
“We must go beyond this symbolic level and engage in inter-faith dialogue as a strategic undertaking which shall contribute to peace-building.”
He added that such dialogue must involve building confidence and sincerity among faith leaders and embrace followers in a deliberate and systematic manner to ensure efficacy and sustainability.
The Sultan appealed to Nigerians to be guided by common values and work together to actualise values in the wider society.
He also urged the people to respect the sanctity of life, saying “We should find no excuse for anyone who sheds blood, regardless of his or her religious affiliation.”
