Trust reinforced!

•Welby, ex-Archbishop of Canterbury, in Kaduna: ‘Nigerians are devoted believers in God’

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is not a stranger to Nigeria. He has a long-standing relationship with Nigeria spanning decades. He came back on Saturday, January 31, 2026, and delivered the 45th Pre-Convocation Public Lecture of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State.

His paper was titled “Building Inter-Ethnic and Religious Harmony in Nigeria: Pathways to National Unity.” He told his audience: “The more I come here, the less I understand. Any foreigner who claims to understand Nigeria is deceiving himself.

“My relationship with Nigeria dates back to 1978. Nigeria is complicated. When talking about this nation, the last sentence must always be, ‘But Nigeria is not as simple as that.’”

Welby was not in Zaria to lecture Nigeria about itself; he was there to listen, reflect and challenge with care, to push for a new consciousness that will uplift its people. In his message was a conviction shaped by years of interfaith engagements: That political peace in Nigeria is impossible without religious peace. Without moral teaching, he warned, justice cannot survive in the society: “In a country where faith is central to daily lives, secularism offers no easy remedy. Nigerians are devoted believers in God. Secularism risks robbing people of what is core to them, their trust and faith in God.”

Rather than push religion out of the public square, he called on religious leaders, Christians and Muslims, alike to rise to their responsibilities while stressing the need for peace and tolerance. He insisted that peace must be deliberately built, not assumed, adding that peaceful coexistence required moral courage, patience, and intentional leadership.

On insecurity and inter-religious relations, Welby rejected simplistic narratives. Progress and problems, he said, exist side by side. He noted that both Islam and Christianity categorically reject violence and the persecution of innocent and maintained that attacks on places of worship were betrayals of faith, not expressions of it.

He also argued that religion must be a tool for reconciliation, not a weapon of division, strife and anarchy.

Welby also drew attention to global politics, climate change, corruption, terrorism, misinformation, economic instability and geopolitical rivalry. As Africa’s most populous nation and a regional power, he stressed that Nigeria carries a special responsibility and must pay attention to all of these.

He argued that leadership must be rooted in truth, justice, and cooperation, with governments protecting the vulnerable and prioritizing the poor, those who suffer first and longest when systems fail.

In the end, the lecture, well attended by scholars, offered no magic wand to Nigeria’s multifaceted challenges. Instead, it offered something more enduring: Honesty, humility while restating the fact that unity is not built by denying differences, but by understanding it and moving further with it.

The Archbishop had earlier paid courtesy visit to Governor Uba Sani. He urged government and citizenry to strive for enduring peace, encourage dialogue, pursue the path of reconciliation and cohesion.

He observed that a lot of had changed in the state between the time of his first visit in 2002 and the present time. He added that during his first visit, the state was marked by deep ethno-religious tensions, fear and recurring violence.

Sani expressed appreciation for the visit and highlighted the gains of the Kaduna State Peace Model, including stressing its emphasis on good governance, inclusion, equity, and justice.

He noted that the model has delivered tangible results over the past two and a half years, stressing that there had been no ethno-religious crisis in the state since he assumed office.

He reaffirmed his commitment to dialogue, fairness and extending development to all communities, regardless of faith or ethnicity.