By Jelili Gbadamosi
Nentawe Yilwatda, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has warned politicians against exploiting religious and ethnic divisions for political advantage, saying such actions could cause lasting damage to Nigeria’s unity and security.
Yilwatda gave the warning on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking at an International Conference on National Security for Socio-economic Development organised by Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), in partnership with the Muslim World League of Saudi Arabia.
He urged religious leaders to promote peace, reconciliation and responsible citizenship, rather than messages capable of deepening hatred and division among Nigerians.
According to him, Nigeria’s religious, ethnic and cultural diversity should be regarded as a strength and not a source of conflict.
“We weaponise religion. We weaponise division for political advantage. Temporary advantage, but it leaves permanent damage in our lives,” he said.
Yilwatda said his personal experience of religious diversity had shaped his belief that people of different faiths could coexist peacefully.
He recalled growing up in a community where his father, a pastor, maintained a close relationship with the local chief imam, with both families regularly visiting each other and celebrating religious festivals together.
He said such relationships demonstrated that religious differences should not create “human distances and separation”.
The APC chairman also recounted the violence his family experienced after his father was transferred to Bauchi in 1991, saying their home and neighbourhood were burnt during the crisis and both Christians and Muslims were forced to seek refuge in military barracks.
He said he later spent about three months in an internally displaced persons’ camp, where he witnessed the devastating effects of violence on people irrespective of their religious background.
Yilwatda said Nigeria was still confronted by terrorism, banditry, communal violence, ethnic tensions, religious intolerance and hate speech, stressing the need for collective efforts to address the challenges.
He urged religious leaders to use their platforms to encourage tolerance and respect for the rights and dignity of people from other faiths.
“Let us preach truth without hatred, conviction without contempt, and truth without incitement. We can preach truth without inciting people. That is the hallmark of teaching as a religious leader,” he said.
Yilwatda called on churches and mosques to serve as centres of peace, reconciliation and responsible citizenship.
He said Nigeria should strive towards a society where Christians and Muslims protect one another and uphold the dignity of every citizen, regardless of religious or ethnic identity.
