OIC AND PEACE BUILDING IN NIGERIA

OIC AND  PEACE  BUILDING IN NIGERIA?
Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

When a child is critically ill, the parent accepts suggestions of any person and places that could provide healing. In sickness, everybody around you becomes “a medical doctor”.  Nigeria is plagued with a terminal disease of terrorism that appears to defy military strategy.  President Muhammadu Buhari has visited America and some West Africa countries to source for healing to the nation’s malady. On August 20, 2015, John Cardinal Onaiyekan invited me to a meeting with King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID). The main agenda of the meeting was the plan to organize a conference in Nigeria that could assist in promoting interreligious and intercultural relations.  Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah is the Vatican delegate to KAICIID, a Nongovernmental and worldwide organization that was founded in October 2011 by King Abdullah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Although the Headquarter is in Vienna, Austria, the Republic of Austria and the Kingdom of Spain supports the Centre with the aim of keeping KAICIID free from all political interference and influence. KAICIID facilitates intercultural and interreligious dialogue as a humanely strategic forum for cooperation, communication, partnership and information exchange thereby building understanding and mutual benefit among peoples of the world. On October 13, 2011 an agreement for the establishment of KAICIID in Vienna was signed by the governments of Austria, Spain and Saudi Arabia. To know more about this centre, you may visit: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KAICIID_Dialogue_Centre).

KAICIID works in close collaboration with Religions for Peace, the largest international coalition of representatives from the world’s religions dedicated to promoting peace that was founded in 1970. His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan (the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja) and His Eminence, Alhaji Mahammadu Sa'ad Abubakar III (the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs) are among the Co-Chairmen in the world and Africa. The International Secretariat headquarter of Religions for Peace is in New York City, with Regional Conferences in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and the Americas with more than 90 affiliates at the national level, and a number of local units. Religions for Peace enjoy consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), with UNESCO and with UNICEF. Dr. William F Vendley is its Secretary General. I have already published the report of the Religions for peace of the last meeting in which I participated in Vienna, Austria. This non-governmental organization (NGO) serves on all continents representing 90 countries; it networks with World Council of senior religious leaders while respecting religious differences, common humanity and the influence of peace within every religion. This organization has created inter-religious partnerships to confront most dire issues such as stopping war, ending poverty and protecting the earth. Religions for Peace was founded in 1970 and supported by various foundations, governments, intergovernmental organizations, religious communities, religiously affiliated development agencies and individuals. You could learn more about this organization. by visiting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religions_for_Peace)

That Nigeria participates in the activities of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is no longer news. Ambassador Yahaya Lawal was present at the meeting with KAICIID in Abuja. Ambassador Yahaya, from Katsina works in the General Secretariat of OIC. He is also the Nigeria Ambassador to Jeddah. In that meeting, he revealed the intention of the OIC to intervene in the security challenges of Nigeria. In our conversation, he believes that Nigeria can benefit a lot from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He explained that OIC has nothing to do with missionary work. The Islamic Cooperation does not convert people to Islam but contributes to the betterment of Nigerians to make Nigeria a better place.
According to him, they had met with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the immediate past president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to discuss the restoration of peace that was destroyed by the insurgents. He affirmed that the OIC does not support any form of terrorism given that terrorism contradicts Islam. The OIC intends to initiate projects that could bring about peace to Nigeria by partnering with the Institute of peace and conflict resolution and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The organization hopes to collaborate with the Nigeria Inter-religious Executive Council (NIREC) and other Nongovernmental Peace and Dialogue initiatives to restore peace to Nigeria.

Given the past controversies about the status of Nigeria in OIC, it was recommended that if OIC really has what it takes to restore peace to Nigeria, the organization should begin with intra-Muslim dialogue by concentrating mainly on the counter narratives of the terrorists’ ideology. This suggestion is relevant because, it appears that many Nigerians including some Muslims have a single story of OIC as an organization whose only intention is to Islamize the world. On February 4, 2015 Niyi posted this: “Osinbajo Slams Jonathan for Attending OIC Meeting, Defends Buhari on Alleged Plans to Islamize Nigeria”. Here is the brief of the post. “Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has berated President Goodluck Jonathan for being the first Nigerian leader to have attended the meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) since Nigeria was clandestinely enlisted by President Ibrahim Babangida in 1986.” Niyi added that Nigeria is one of the 57 member states of the OIC, an organisation that states that it is "the collective voice of the Muslim world" and works to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony. According to Osinbajo, those accusing the presidential candidate of the APC, Muhammadu Buhari, of being a Muslim fundamentalist, who might Islamize Nigeria are getting it all wrong. Throughout his period as military head of state, Buhari was under intense pressure to drag Nigeria into the OIC, but he never yielded, because he respects Nigeria as a secular state, in line with the constitution. Besides, his cook and driver are Christians.”

That OIC was used to score a political point during the campaigns shows to what extent the organization is a bitter pill in the mouth of many Nigerians. Ishaq Oloyode, the secretary general of NIREC and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) had said that “he was not yet aware that the country has signed the OIC charter. But it is alleged that the first meeting of the organization was held in Morocco in 1969.  General Yakubu Gowon, sent a delegation of observers, led by Abubakar Gumi, to represent only the Nigerian Muslim community. When a French news agency reported that Nigeria has been admitted into the organization as its 46th member in January 1986, many argued that as a secular nation, it had no business with the Islamic body. While the Muslim community saw it as a pleasant surprise, the Christian community strongly resented the idea as `Islamization of Nigeria' and requested the president to deregister the country from the organization, since our constitution holds that Nigeria is a secular society (http://nigeriavillagesquare.com). These arguments could sustain the reasons why the OIC should facilitate sincere dialogue within the Muslim community to convince Nigerians about the true identity of the organization, the true status of Nigeria in the organization and what it would benefit Nigerians. If OIC can stop terrorism in Nigeria and the whole world, then everybody would cease to judge the organization with a single story. Until then, this question lingers: “Can OIC restore peace to Nigeria?"