From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
President Bola Tinubu and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, alongside Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s immediate past President-General Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu, have called for unity and trust among Nigerians, urging faith leaders to foster love, respect, and tolerance.
The remarks were made at the first Triannual Meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Owerri, Imo State, themed “Building Mutual Trust for National Unity”.
Tinubu, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume, said, “The bedrock of any cohesive society is the invisible thread that binds our hands across ethnic, religious, and cultural lines. Without trust, even the most noble intentions may be mistrusted and distorted, but with trust, we can overcome our differences, resolve complex conflicts, and chart a shared path towards national consensus and greatness.”
Governor Uzodimma welcomed NIREC, commending its role in promoting unity. “We must love one another because you cannot destroy whom you love,” he said. “You cannot truly love God, whom you have not seen, if you cannot love your fellow human being, whom you see every day.”
He praised Tinubu’s leadership, noting, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and Vice President Kashim Shettima have shown that leadership is not always about religious identity but about delivering results,” and urged religious leaders to reject divisive narratives.
Nze Ozichukwu, in his paper “Building Mutual Trust for National Unity”, noted ethno-religious tensions, hate speech, and trust deficits as barriers to cohesion. Quoting Michael Servetus, he said, “We need not think alike to love alike,” advocating unity through mutual respect.
He decried divisive terms like “non-indigene” and “marginalisation”, urging NIREC to address banditry, farmers-herders clashes, and unemployment, and to secure Nnamdi Kanu’s release. He proposed integrity, inclusive policies, and community engagement, citing Uzodimma’s interfaith initiatives and Tinubu’s interfaith marriage as models, but challenged NIREC to push for tolerance of dissent.