LET PEACE REIGN IN NIGERIA

LET PEACE REIGN IN NIGERIA

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

 

The theme of the second quarter meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) of March 29, 2019 at NICON Luxury Abuja is “Let Peace Reign in Nigeria. The media reported the concerns of the Senators in the House of Assembly concerning the killings going on in the various parts of Nigeriaon Wednesday, March 20, 2019. NIREC is calling on all the citizens of Nigeria to let peace reign instead of seeking the vengeance that could put the nation asunder. Nigeria should imitate the countries that have advanced from primitive to digital age of technology. After fifty-nine years of independence, Nigeria ought to be an adult just as a fifty-nine-year-old person can run a family effectively in peace and justice. The parents who planted in a child the capacity to embrace wisdom and the virtues to value human dignity have given to the future generations a society that will be able to prevent conflict, reconcile conflicts and plan strategies and skills that can help humanity. No nation can develop without sustainable peace. At fifty-nine, Nigeria ought to be enjoying dividends of peaceful coexistence at all levels in spite of political, ethnic and religious differences. 

 

NIREC is appealing to political, religious and traditional leaders to be peace builders in a way and manner that they must resist the temptation to take sides in contributing to the larger justice and peace issues. This is the time to act locally and think globally. No single level, activity, person, organization is able to bring peace in isolation of others hence the call for collaborative effort by NIREC. Like a spider who uses a combination of flexible threads and strands to make its web, we must begin to promote relationships between people who are not like-minded but interdependent. We need skills and prayers to bring about a good relationship between people of different groups. This skill is first and foremost the awareness that we have humanity as a common factor. Let us therefore summon courage to talk to one another in accordance with our religious principles and values that forbid the killing of human beings for selfish reasons. 

 

The first sustainable principle is creation. If God created human beings for a mission and vision; if parents accept to give birth to children to give them happiness on earth, then every human being must be engaged in life sustaining values. If we accept that we are co-creators with God, then we need an ongoingresponse capacity to address the cyclical nature of conflicts. It is not easy to forget the hurts that one suffers from a conflict. Invariably, the appeal to forgive and forget can only be successful in the capacity to forgive. Forgetting has to do with the memory so “forgive and forget” can only make sense if one accepts that even though “I remember the pain you caused me, I will not revenge”. In peace building, it is important that as you make progress, there is the need to go back and move again to build sustainable capacity. We should develop local capacities for peace that should survive us. This is an area where dialogue calls for people who are interested and ready to make sacrifice.Peace is not cheap hence the only thing that can purchase it is selfless dedication.

 

The whole world is questing for peace that is enduring and everlasting. For our peace initiative to survive us, the world is now creating functional structures. This is why it is gratifying that NIREC is now a registered affiliate member of the Africa Council of Religious Leaders (ACRL) and Religions for Peace (RfP) at the Global level. The Head Quarters of the ACRL is in Nairobi, Kenya, while the Head Quarters of RfP is in New York, USA. The whole world is preparing for the 10th worldAssembly of Religions for Peace (RfP) in Lidau, Germany in August, 2019. NIREC will soon exist in the Geo-political zones in Nigeria. It is hoped that with the Youths and Women wing of NIREC, the message of dialogue and peace will reach the grassroots. This is a response to the many Nigerians who have been seeking for the visibility of NIREC at all levels. 

 

Given that NIREC is a family for all the Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, our strategic principle must now be a proactive response to emerging issues while reinforcing longer and larger change process. We do not have to wait for violence to erupt before we start the drums of peace. If we must succeed in using dialogue as a means to build peace, we can no longer wait till there are conflicts before building good relationship with the people around us. When there was conflict in my village, it was easy for me to reach the elders and the Village Head because I had an existing relationship with them. We cannot fold our hands when we see problems emerging. It is not my business often turns out to be the business of everybody. Building relationship before conflicts is a potent means of building trust on both sides to attain sustainable dialogue. This can also help in building committees that would be functional in development, reconstruction and response to emergencies when the need arises.

 

The situation we are now in Nigeria calls for vertical and horizontal capacity. There are so many questions that are crying for answers. We must respond to some of these questions concerning the causes of killings in Kaduna State, Rivers State and all the States that are witnessing violence. If we can no longer reduce these killings to only religion and politics, then we must ask further if the killings are ethnic cleansing? Who is to act? When to act, where to act, what to react to and how to reactis what we can also think seriously about. Who do we engage in times of violence if not the security agents? Are they willing and ready for the job? How do we identify and develop the voice of reason by building vertical and horizontal capacity? We need people that have the capacity to reach the top from the bottom. In other words, people that can reach the poor, middle class, the rich and the people in leadership positions. The people with the voice of reason can reach from top to bottom and verse versa. These people are very influential. People with passion for dialogue and peace can be used to form the structure that can communicate at all levels to build bridges across divides in form of horizontal capacity. This is where the motives of those who desire political positions could be questioned. Is power for common good or personal interest?

 

One of the major roles of Religious leaders is to build vertical capacity. They are to identify people who are willing to put sacrifice above personal interest. It is not enough to answer the title of a position without really doing the work or just appointing people to deputise for you. Let the owner of the cap wear it and let no one sell his head to buy the cap. The relevance of vertical relationship is the ability to talk to God in prayer so that the horizontal capacity can work in such a way that the vision of peace is animated with a mission that can take peace building to a point of martyrdom. The combination of the relationship with God on the vertical level and relationship with human beings on the horizontal level clearly defines the love of God which must spur us on. As creatures of God, we can gobeyond the time of division by being merciful and compassionate just like God has done for us. “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” (Luke 11:4). If God does not build a house, in vain do the builders labour (Psalm 127: 1). God must be the beginning and end of our entire peace project.  God at the centre implies that we recognise human beings as creatures of God (Genesis 1, 26-27). Let us take it that we are having peace engagement with God’s people and allow peace to reign in Nigeria. 

 

Rev. Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua is the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) (nirec.ng@gmail.com)

 

THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN PEACE BUILDING

THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN PEACEBUILDING

Fr. Prof. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

Executive Secretary

Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC)

 

Whenever the lyrics of the National anthem are echoed, the Nigerian citizens are reminded of their pledge to “serve our fatherland” as “one nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.” In spite of this oath of allegiance to serve one nation, some people have opined that Nigeria is not a nation but a mere geographical expression. One would have expected that the construction of this one nation that started long ago would have been completed by now with visible dividends of what a civilized nation should be. The human and natural resources are not in short supply so there is no reason to remain at the level we are now. In 1960, this building project of one nation was taken over by those who thought that the human beings who were amalgamated from different empires and tribes would have a new identity in a way and manner that each citizen would be proud to be called a Nigerian. With Nigeria’s independence, it was thought that the end of slavery and colonialism had been achieved. Unfortunately, Nigeria is still gasping for breath like a patient on oxygen with a life seeking for meaning. The gun cannot kill an ideology nor can it impose virtue in the hearts of human beings. Unity in diversity has become a mirage in Nigeria hence religious leaders must promote mutual trust. 

 

Peace and unity are products of justice. So far, one of the efforts of the religious leaders to promote peace and unity is the establishment of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC). This council is one visible sign of the government’s efforts to support the mission of peace and unity in Nigeria. The preamble to the Constitution of NIREC is a compass that points to the direction of peace and unity: “We, the representative of the two Principal Religions - Islam and Christianity in Nigeria, having voluntarily decided by ourselves to come together to form an association on the 11thday of September, 1999, and the association having been inaugurated on the 29th day of September, 1999, guided by our divine revelations and the dictates of our CREATOR, determined, within the context of our religions, to forge Inter-Religious harmony and concord, having firmly and solemnly resolved, within the confines of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to live in unity, harmony and peace for the welfare, security and prosperity of our peoples and our Nation under God, do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves this Constitution to guide and direct our collective endeavors.” 

 

Our Sister, Amina Tukur Othman is making a clarion call inher book to everybody to “SHUN VIOLENCE AND EMBRACE PEACE.”  The major cause of violence in Nigeria is not religion even though, some of our leaders have politically raped the society and blinded their victims with the garment of religion. Religious leaders must deliver religion from this abuse. The reality is that hunger is one of the strong dividers in human existence while abundant food is a strong connector. Hunger has turned some people to slaves, thugs and hero worshippers. Even the devil knows the danger of hunger and how food can make some people worship the creatures in preference to the creator. Imagine how the devil wanted to distract Jesus with food. Jesus was tempted by the devil to turn stone into bread. But Jesus replied, Scripture says: “Man does not live on bread alone” (Luke 4:1-4). 

 

The desire to turn stone to bread is a serious source of conflictand violence. Some are ready to take human life to occupy leadership positions to amass so much wealth that would enable them keep the poor as perpetual slaves. Even the climate change in the world today is the effort of the human person to turn stone to bread. This has affected green vegetation, aquatic life, and the environment. The search for green pastures has led to violence between the Herdsmen and various communities in Nigeria. 

 

We can go further to identify the types of conflicts in the different context and places in Nigeria. This would assist the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) and all who have passion for peace building through sacrificial and sincere dialogue to address these challenges. This is one of the reasons for the National Consultative forum that was organized by NIREC on February 27, 2019 at NICON Luxury, Abuja. Every National Inter-Religious Council in Africa was requested by the African Council of Religious leaders (ACRL) to organize this forum in preparation for the 10thworld Assembly of Religions for Peace (RfP) in Lidau, Germany. The entire world is in need of peace hence the commission paper in preparation for the world assembly states that violent conflict, war and terrorist attacks are most obvious expressions of aggression, intolerance, and disharmony in our world today. However, widespread inequality, exploitation and oppression have now become destructive and devastating around the world. 

Hunger is a product of injustice in the distribution of resources. This is why it is very sad that injustice in Nigeria has taken a ‘structural’ form of conflict and violence. Greed for power and governance has made politics appear like a very serious divider at all levels of human existence in Nigeria. Desire for prestige positions have separated some close relatives and friends in the political history of many nations. This has made politics a double edge sword that can even penetrate the unity that exists in religion and traditional institutions. Over-ambition for political positions have turned neighbours into guerilla warriors with their native communities as battle fields for guerilla warfare. So, the desperation to win elections has turned election fields to battle fields. Whereas leadership ought to be a connector in the political, social and religious life of the people, those who should be leaders have made themselves rulers who promise to turn stone to bread for their supporters. A true leader ought to be a connector because he or she ought to transcend party, tribe and religious affiliation. It is only good governance that can eradicate all forms of conflicts and violence. 

It is sad that some political actors who promote conflicts and violence do not fall from the sky. They live among us and belong to different communities. They are not atheist. They profess faith in God either as Christians or Muslims. These people perhaps believe in prayer and fasting. They believe in life, death, hell or heaven. This is why religious leaders must not be tired of teaching their adherents the value of peace and unity. In times like these, we must hearken to these words of the Prophet Joel: “It is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning. Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn, turn to the Lord your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in mercy and ready to relent (Joel 2:12-13). According to Pope Francis, God is never tired of forgiving us; we are the ones who are tired of seeking his mercy. 

The Actors of conflict or peacebuilding could be an individual, organization, community, traditional rulers, religious leaders or political leaders. To contribute to the peacebuilding process, we must renounce ourselves and our selfish desires. Jesus Christ instructed his followers: “If anyone wants to be my disciple, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will save it (Luke 9:23). I believe very strongly that whoever wants to be a peacebuilder with a sincere intention to prevent conflict, resolve conflict and transform conflict in the context of NIREC must be ready and willing to make sacrifice. It is not enough to have a higher degree to be a peacebuilder and conflict manager. This is why delegates to NIREC must be men and women who have passion for dialogue. They must be warriors over their temperaments. The monetary benefits should be secondary. According to Jesus Christ, “Seek first the kingdom of God and every other thing will be given to you (Matthew 6:33). In this context, the Kingdom of God is perfect peace. Blessed are the peace makers, they shall be called children of God (Matthew 5:7). Every peacemaker is a potential Saint. The Great Saint, Pope John Paul II says: “Do not be afraid to be Saints. Follow Jesus Christ who is the source of freedom and light. Be opened to the Lord so that he may lighten all your ways.” Every religious leader should strive to be a connector in peacebuilding. 

Every peacebuilder and conflict manager should be an actor and a connector who must through dialogue engage the funders, promoters, dividers and beneficiaries of conflict to see the need for conflict transformation as an integral part of humanity. God did not create human beings in isolation hence no man is an island just as no tree can make a forest. As long as human beings live in different forms of communities, the quest for peaceful co-existence is inevitable. It would do the nation a lot of good if every Christian and Muslim could identify with NIREC as a family and model of peaceful co-existence. This divine obligation would promote a culture of non-violence. Consequently, religious leaders and NIREC delegates need personal and institutional skills that would enable them take Nigeria to a level where the citizens do not merely survive on the remnants of the rich but live and experience life in abundance (John 10:10). There is need for an expounded NIREC that must go behind the fifty delegates to the grass roots that would actively involve the youths and women. This would enable NIREC to transform negative peace of oppression, discrimination and inequality to positive peace of a just and fair society for all and the restoration of relationships. To be happy in life, we need structures that can sustain peaceful societies and NIREC has the capacity and potentials for this mission. Let us therefore make the world a better place. Let us be among the connectors and refuse to join the dividers in peacebuilding. When there is a will, there is a way so let us make paradise on earth by the grace of God. Let nothing stop us now! I congratulate Amina Tukur Othman, our celebrated author of “SHUN VIOLENCE AND EMBRACE PEACE.”

 

 

 

 

 

DIVIDERS AND CONNECTORS IN PEACE-BUILDING

DIVIDERS AND CONNECTORS IN PEACEBUILDING

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

 

Hunger is one of the strong dividers in human existence while abundant food is a strong connector that brings people together. Hunger has turned some people to slaves, thugs and hero worshippers. Even the devil knows the danger of hunger and how food can make some people foolish in worshiping creatures in preference to the creator. Poverty has made some poor people worshippers of the rich. Imagine how the devil wanted to distract Jesus with food. “Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days. During that time, he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry. Then the devil said to him, if you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into bread. But Jesus replied, Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone (Luke 4:1-4). The desire to turn stone to bread is a serious source of conflict. Some are ready to take human life to occupy leadership positions to amass so much wealth that would enable them keep the poor as perpetual slaves. Even the climate change in the world today is the effort of the human person to turn stone to bread. This has affected green vegetation, aquatic life, deforestation and environmental pollution which have become parts of the dividers in the world. 

We can go further to identify the types of conflicts in the different context and places in Nigeria. This would assist the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) and all who have passion for peace building through sacrificial and sincere dialogue to address these challenges. This is one of the reasons for the National Consultative forum that was organized by NIREC on February 27, 2019 at NICON Luxury, Abuja. Every National Inter-Religious Council in Africa is requested by the African Council of Religious leaders (ACRL) to organize this forum in preparation for the 10thworld Assembly of Religions for Peace (RfP) in Lidau, Germany. The entire world is in need of peace hence thecommission paper in preparation for the world assembly states that violent conflict, war and terrorist attacks are most obvious expressions of aggression, intolerance, and disharmony in our world today. However, widespread inequality, exploitation and oppression have now become destructive and devastating around the world. 

Hunger is a product of injustice in the distribution of resources. This is why it is very sad that injustice in Nigeria has taken a ‘structural’ form of conflict and violence. Greed for power and governance has made politics appear like a very serious divider at all levels of human existence in Nigeria. Desire for prestige positions have separated some close relatives and friends in the political history of many nations. This has made politics a double edge sword that can even penetrate the unity that exists in religion and traditional institutions. Over-ambition for political positions have turned neighbours into guerilla warriors with their native communities as battle fields for guerilla warfare. So, the desperation to win elections has turned election fields to battlefields. Whereas leadership ought to be a connector in the political, social and religious life of the people, those who should be leaders have made themselves rulers who promise to turn stone to bread for their supporters. A true leader ought to be a connector because he or she ought to transcend party, tribe and religious affiliation. It is only good governance that can eradicate all forms of conflicts and violence. How do you access an election where some people are celebrating their victory over their dead victims? How do you access an election where indigenes mobilize militia to kill their own kindred just because of political differences? 

This is why one could be right to conclude that the greatest divider in peacebuilding today is ‘democratic coup’ where power is taken against the will of the electorate. It is worse if this power is not used for the common good and the result is anger, deprivation, conflict, loss of value for life and violence. It is sad that some political actors who promote conflicts and violence do not fall from the sky. They live among us and belong to different communities. They are not atheist. They profess faith in God either as Christians or Muslims. These people perhaps believe in prayer and fasting. They believe in life, death, hell or heaven. The Christians have started the Lenten season, a month of fasting, penance, repentance and change of attitude. In times like these, Christians must hearken to these words of the Prophet: “It is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning. Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn, turn to the Lord your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in mercy and ready to relent (Joel 2:12-13). According to Pope Francis, God is never tired of forgiving us; we are the ones who are tired of seeking his mercy. 

The Actors of conflict or peacebuilding could be an individual, organization, community, traditional rulers, religious leaders or political leaders. To contribute to the peacebuilding process, we must renounce ourselves and our selfish desires. Jesus Christ instructed his followers: “If anyone wants to be my disciple, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will save it (Luke 9:23). I believe very strongly that whoever wants to be a peacebuilder with a sincere intention to prevent conflict, resolve conflict and transform conflict in the context of NIREC must be ready and willing to make sacrifice. It is not enough to have a higher degree to be a peacebuilder and conflict manager. This is why delegates to NIREC must be men and women who have passion for dialogue. They must be warriors over their temperaments. The monetary benefits should be secondary. According to Jesus Christ, “Seek first the kingdom of God and every other thing will be given to you (Matthew 6:33). In this context, the Kingdom of God is perfect peace. Blessed are the peace makers, they shall be called children of God (Matthew 5:7). Every peacemaker is a potential Saint. The Great Saint, Pope John Paul II says: “Do not be afraid to be Saints. Follow Jesus Christ who is the source of freedom and light. Be opened to the Lord so that he may lighten all your ways.” Every NIREC delegate should strive to be a connector in peacebuilding. 

Every peacebuilder and conflict manager should be an actor and a connector who must through dialogue engage the funders, promoters, dividers and beneficiaries of conflict to see the need for conflict transformation as an integral part of humanity. God did not create human beings in isolation hence no man is an island just as no tree can make a forest. As long as human beings live in different forms of communities, the quest for peaceful co-existence is inevitable. The most visible structure of Government’s support for peacebuilding and nation building in Nigeria is the existence of NIREC. It would do the nation a lot of good if every Christian and Muslim could identify with NIREC as a family and model of peaceful co-existence. This divine obligation would promote a culture of non-violence. Consequently, NIREC delegates need personal and institutional skills that would enable them takeNigeria to a level where the citizens do not merely survive on the remnants of the rich but live and experience life in abundance (John 10:10). There is need for an expounded NIREC that must go behind the fifty delegates to the grass roots that would actively involve the youths and women. This would enable NIREC to transform negative peace of oppression, discrimination and inequality to positive peace of a just and fair society for all and the restoration of relationships. To be happy in life, we need structures that can sustain peaceful societies and NIREC has the capacity and potentials for this mission. Let us therefore make the world a better place. Let us be among the connectors and refuse to join the dividers in peacebuilding. When there is a will, there is a way so let us make paradise on earth by the grace of God. Let nothing stop us now!

Rev. Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua is the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) (nirec.ng@gmail.com)