Adeleye Kunle Reports
A team for addressing issues of religious intolerance under the Africa Region HQ of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) have concluded arrangements to hold Interfaith, peace and unity of the religions General Assembly in Nigeria. To ensure that there is no strained relations between the followers of the diverse religions, IHRC’s Committee on African Indigenous Religions has constantly contributed to building harmony using several measures.
The committee therefore focuses on teaching the government’s authorities and leaders of various religions to add the elements of reconciliation and peace into the statements they make without preconceived and unreasoned notion of religious beliefs and practices which often lead adherents of a particular religion to antagonise their religious neighbours in a multi-faith society.
IHRC’s MENA offices have acknowledged the IHRC Africa Region HQ nomination of HRE. Valentine Sunday Akpati as substantive Chairman of the Committee on African Indigenous Religions. HRE. Dr. Akpati works tirelessly on the ways and means to preserve the cooperation and collaboration between all the known religions in the world.
The IHRC Africa Region HQ in Nairobi, Kenya endorsed the Committee under HRE Dr. Akpati to utilize his pedigree for efforts in exploring ways to prevent violence and build peace. His vision is to frequently remind the people of nonviolent conflict intervention approaches that have gained popularity in recent years.
The committee on African Indigenous Religions concisely seeks that the Interfaith, Peace and Unity of the Religions General Assembly in Abuja slated for the month of October 2022 will provide an effective conflict intervention and transformation approach whose outcome is to attain the positive peace desired.
Meanwhile the IHRC Committee on African Indigenous Religions has condemned in very strong terms the stoning and killing of a female student in Sokoto State by a mob of overzealous students for alleged blasphemy. Dr. Akpati said the law enforcement agencies should quickly swing into action to investigate the matter to identify the culprits and bring them to justice according to the Nigerian criminal law. He said that the alleged killing of young Deborah Yakubu a female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education is appalling, provocative, and inhuman.
