Nigeria@60: Buhari urges unity, tolerance

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged religious leaders and the citizenry to be united in eradicating religious extremism and intolerance in the country.

He made the call yesterday in Abuja at the 60th Independence Day Public Lecture and Special Juma’at Prayer held at the Abuja National Mosque, with the theme: “Together Nigeria at 60: The Imperative of Building a Nation Together.”

According to him, the nation celebrating 60 anniversaries is a milestone and also a reminder of the great sacrifices of the founding fathers and leaders past who fought unitedly and formidably, for the present generation to have a country which has remained the most prosperous black nation in the world, 60 years on.

“On this note, I am making a clarion call to our various religious communities and individuals to sue for peace and national unity. I am making this call because the ground solution to our challenges in the area of ethnic and religious intolerance, which is sometimes manifested in conflict, lies with individuals, you and I.

“I charge the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCAI) to do more in eradicating religious extremism. As Muslims, let us continue to prove, through words and actions, that Islam is nothing but peace, as enshrined in the Glorious Quran,” Buhari who was represented by Senate President, Ahmed Lawal, said.

The president assured that the federal government was committed to entrenching sustainable peace as it intensifies the fight against insurgency, extremism and all forms of intolerance.