INTER-RELIGIOUS COUNCIL OF SIERRA LEONE

INTER-RELIGIOUS COUNCIL OF SIERRA LEONE

3RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY

8TH DECEMBER, 2020, BANK COMPLEX, KINGDOM, FREETOWN

 

STATEMENT ON THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS 

IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL COHESION

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

When I was growing up my father said to me, “My son, no matter how you kill an ant, there must be a mark. Wherever you are and whatever you may be, always leave behind a positive mark. Let those coming after you know that somebody had passed this way.” My mother said to me, “I made you to love your enemies so that you can grow gracefully without hatred in your heart. You need a pure heart and mind to be great when you become a matured man.”We live in a particular cultural and national milieu not by our free choice but because that is where we are born. The content of each person’s character depends therefore on parental, cultural, religious and national upbringing. Leadership is key to national development and social cohesion. One of the strategies of the terrorists and mischief makers is to ignite a religious conflict that could lead to religious war. 

What has saved Nigeria from total annihilation is the resilience of the religious leaders to be together and speak truth to power. The representative of the two Principal Religions, Islam and Christianity in Nigeria voluntarily decided to form the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) on the 11th day of September, 1999. On the 29th day of September, 1999, NIREC was inaugurated to promote peaceful co-existence. NIREC is a visible sign of the interests and effort of the Federal Government of Nigeria to foster unity, harmony and peace for the welfare, security and prosperity of the Nigerian citizens irrespective of religious affiliation. 

Because NIREC works to promote the mission of Government to attain peace, the government in return supports NIREC to carry out the main objective of peacebuilding. The office space of the Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC) is provided by government in the Federal Secretariat of Nigeria,Abuja. The Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (OSGF) finances the activities of NIREC. The Staff of NIREC are paid by government. However, Governments respect the autonomy of NIREC as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). Religious leaders are highly respected and their opinions are also respected. One of the major achievements of NIREC since 1999 is to counter the strategy of the terrorists and mischief makers who want to cause religious disharmony, war and confusion through hate speeches and physical attacks on religious institutions and persons. Seeing the President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) who are the Co-Chairmen of NIREC urgently debunk the erroneous and ugly impression that Christians and Muslims are at war or that Christianity and Islam are in conflicts. 

NIREC, like all National Inter-religious Councils is affiliated to the Religions for Peace (RfP) whose headquarter is in New York, USA and Africa Council of Religious leaders whose headquarters is in Nairobi, Kenya. Nigeria is the headquartersof the West Africa Inter-religious Council. As the Secretary General of this Council, I am here in response to your invitation. In the same way, West Africa Inter-religious Council is ready and willing to assist other West Africa Countries to establish or promote their various Inter-Religious Councils. On Friday, November 13, 2020, on behalf of the West Africa Inter-Religious Council, the staff of NIREC had a meeting with Prof. Leopoldo Amado, Commissioner of Education, Science and Culture of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The Commissioner pledged to support the West Africa Inter-Religious Council. 

When I was representing Africa in the Vatican as Consultor in the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims (CRRM), I discovered that Sierra Leone is a role model in Muslim/Christian relations. “Judging from the Sierra Leone situation, religious cooperation can be recommended as a useful mechanism for conflict resolution, in societies which share similar historical and social orientations.The nature of religious tolerance and cooperation in the Sierra Leone context serves as a check on fundamentalism and religious bigotry. This value can be exported to other parts of the region as a lesson for safeguarding society from the ills and excesses of religious conflict. In every society, whether affluent or developing, religion should serve as the conscience of the people. Thus, religious leaders should always and at all times be the conscience of the people and the voice of the voiceless.

Peace is a global project hence; the various governments need to support Inter-religious projects like the Inter-religious Council of Sierra Leone. During the 10th world assembly in August 2019, in Lindau, Germany, the Federal Foreign Office in Germany officially inaugurated “The Foundation Peace Dialogue of the World Religions and Civil Society (Ring for Peace) in Lindau.  Similarly, I request and plead with the Federal Government of Sierra Leone to support the Inter-religious Council of Sierra Leone. The core values and mission of IRCSL are to promote interfaith dialogue, peaceful co-existence in communities and provide spiritual, moral guidance to the people. These values have been sustained for twenty-three years. Sierra Leone will develop more if itsgovernment assume parental responsibility and take advantage of this vibrant Inter-religious Council. 

The world is becoming more sophisticated with weapons of mass destruction like: nuclear arms, chemical weapons, biological weapons, land mines, cluster bombs, assassination drones, depleted uranium, white phosphorus shells, heavy bombs, fuel air explosives, particle weapons, and other exotic weapons. Today COVID 19 is associated with biological weapon that has put the whole world at risk. The African Council of Religious Leaders (ACRL) and Religions for Peace (RfP) have encouraged every nation to sign the United Nations treaty against nuclear weapons. We should go beyond this to ensure that the value of weapons for mass destruction is used for human development. Religious and Political leaders must continue to insist on the control of world trade in arms and armaments. We must join our voices and actions in animating the world powers on the need to develop non-violent means of defence. Let us pledge ourselves to peace through justice; let us take a solemn decision, now, that war will never be tolerated or sought as a means for resolving differences. We must not give up until every human heart is converted from hatred to the peace that God had destined for humanity. May all leaders cooperate with God in achieving this noble vision. 

 

Fr. Prof. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua is the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) and the Secretary General of the West Africa Inter-religious Council. He was the Director of the Department of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria and a Consultor in the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims, Vatican City.

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PRESS RELEASE BY NIREC 4/8/2020

PRESS RELEASE BY NIREC 

NIREC CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE SECURITY FOR NIGERIAN CITIZENS

The Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) under the leadership of the Co-Chairmen, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto; President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Rev. Dr. Sampson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle, President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention; President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is constrained to call on the government to provide security for the Nigerian citizens. NIREC has always condemned the terrorists’ attacks on innocent citizens in the North Eastern part of Nigeria and the various criminal activities in the various parts of the country.

NIREC is worried that the threats and killings keep spreading. We condemn the carnage on human life especially the recent killings of 76 people in Sabon Birni Local Government of Sokoto State; RuwanTofa Dansadua district in Zamfara State; ZagonKataf Local Government Area in Kaduna State; Bethel Baptist Church Aguda-Dauruwan Kogi State and the attack on the convoy of the Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum at Baga. We condemn absolutely, the political thuggery that threatens human life and peaceful coexistence. 

During his traditional Sallah homage to the Governor of Borno State, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai ElKanemi cried out: “My people in Borno are no longer safe.” Consequently, Maiduguri, in particular should not be allowed to be run over by the insurgents who have been throwing mortals there, killing people. These show how serious the State of insecurity is in the nation. These situations and the likes are of grave concern to NIREC. The unabated carnages leave the citizens in a state of complete despair as economic activities are almost paralyzed.

NIREC is therefore constrained once again to call on the Government at all levels to take security as a top priority for every Nigerian. The Government at all levels must double up their efforts of securing the lives and property of the citizens. The security Agents must fish out the criminals to face justice. The security Agents must mop up the arms and ammunitions in the hands of criminals. The government must ensure a complete stop to the proliferation of all forms of weapons that criminals use to destroy life and property. 

Signed

Fr. Prof. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua 

Executive Secretary 

04/08/2020

NIGERIA IN NEED OF NATIONAL RECONCILIATION

NIGERIA: IN NEED OF NATIONAL RECONCILIATION

Anaweokhai O. Valentine

 

Most of the problems we face today as a nation are the effects of the sins that cry to God for vengeance such as willful murder or homicide (Genesis 4:8-12), Sodomy (Genesis 18:20-33), Oppression of widows and orphans (Exodus 22 :21) and cheating laborers of their due (Deuteronomy 24 :14-15). Homicide here includes the mindless killings and loss of innocent lives taking place daily in the country as a result of armed banditry, insurgency, terrorism, abductions, ritual killings, electoral violence, anti-cult rivalries and brutality. Oppression of widows and orphans includes laws, policies, initiatives and efforts aimed at silencing, subjugating and suppressing the poor, weak, helpless, homeless, nobodies, old, vulnerable, uneducated, minorities and uninformed. All these are efforts to take undue advantage of other’s naivety and vulnerability. 

 

Cheating laborers of their due include intentional and deliberate refusal to pay workers of their wages, salaries, pensions, gratuities and emoluments as at when due. It entails unnecessary delaying and withholding of monies and allocated funds meant for the people and diverting them for selfish ends. All these, we experience every now and then. Through acts like this, the soul of our great country is being sapped. The body of the nation is being disemboweled. The future of the country looks uncertain. People are daily denied of their basic means and sources of survival. For me, this is a new form of genocide, holocaust, massacre, extermination, and cleansing of a people’s sense of humanity, sanity and dignity). Just restructuring may not redeem and salvage the present situation. We need to embark on a long, transformative, onerous and national journey and program of reconciliation, reparation and restitution.

 

When the dignity, freedom, value and rights of the average Nigerian seem to have been stolen and mortgaged by those who were supposed to protect and preserve them, one can understand why in the midst of all the problems on ground today, it appears that no one is doing anything about it or worse still, that any good thing can come out of the country any longer. It is bad enough that deplorable situations are now turned into comic relief and we laugh over them. The common slogan nowadays is ‘God help us’, ‘It is well’. There are people who are more or less suffering from what could be called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). How can we move on from here? What do we do? We need to turn to God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). 

 

In all of these, it is very evident that religious leaders have a great role to play in bringing aboutreconciliation, reparation and restitution. The religious leaders of the various blocs within the Christian and Muslim communities must join hands with the traditional leaders and civil authorities to seek ways of implementing and executing them, according to their peculiar religious, civil and traditional customs and practices. They need to be well planned out, over a period of time. They should form part of religious and moral education, instructions, homilies, sermons, rituals and catechesis at places of worship and learning. 

 

However, on her own part, the government must intensify efforts to promote religious, moral, values and civic education in schools at all levels. We are all in this together. No one is exempted. Everyone has a significant role to play along the way. Almost every Nigerian fits into the Christian, Muslim and traditional umbrella. To build a nation, you must enthrone virtuous people into leadership positions. People who have the fear of God, grown in virtues and strength of character. You must allow people who have the requisite skills and knowledge to occupy leadership positions. These values, virtues and characters can be acquired and gained from such a spiritual exercise and program of reconciliation, reparation and restitution.

 

I trust these solutions because they aren’t so much dependent on the skills, knowledge, competence and works of human beings but rather on the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. They are effective by the grace and power of God through the Holy Spirit. As we play our specific roles, we must allow God to do His own work. Based on this, I look forward to a time when people would become highly mindful of stealing and dipping their hands into public funds to satisfy their selfish wants rather than public interest. 

 

When people who have stolen and embezzled through corrupt practices in the past, would return this ill-gotten wealth not because of the sledge hammer of EFCC or ICPC, but because they, on their own, have accused themselves, by themselves, and felt the need to make refunds and restitution, then there will be hope. When people would be attracted to public offices and elective positions for genuine purposes of service and development and not out of greed or self-aggrandizement, then we have arrived. Until we are truly reconciled to form an authentic whole, then, there can be no united country. The unity we claim, will only be delusive and illusive. Until we make due reparation, then our indivisibility is fallacious. And until we make the necessary restitutions, our oneness is questionable. Until then, the journey is yet to begin and truly, like Prof Jega said, what tactic is there left to try?

 

Fr. Anaweokhai Valentine is a Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Edo State Nigeria (anavalobee@gmail.com)

 

RELIGION AND SCIENCE AGAINST COVID 19

RELIGION AND SCIENCE AGAINST COVID 19

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

 

Guided by the wisdom of God Almighty, the Co-Chairmen of the Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC), His Eminence, Rev. Dr. Sampson Olasupo Ayokunle and His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto jointly arrived at the decision that all Christians and Muslims should fast and pray from July 3-5, 2020 for God’s divine intervention to end the scourge and spread of COVID 19. Since April 30, 2020, NIREC had been calling on all Christians to pray every Thursday of the week. Two Christians and two Muslims lead these prayers through virtual meetings on zoom against the COVID 19 pandemic. The leaders of NIREC appreciate and acknowledge the efforts of the Federal and State Governments of Nigeria towards containing the spread of Corona Virus to secure the lives of the inhabitants, both citizens and foreigners.

 

The efforts of the scientific investigations, medical personnel and regulations by various political leaders in the world are also highly appreciated even though the corona virus has so far taken the upper hand in the battle with science. This shows that we must call on the merciful God, our creator, to grant us lasting victory over the COVID-19 pandemic that has humbled humanity. The world must now return to God the author of life and appeal for mercy and compassion akin to the nation of Nineveh (Jonah 3: 4-10; Quran 21:87-88). In response to the call to joint inter-faith prayers by NIREC, on Friday, 3rd July, 2020 (12th Dhu Al-Qa’adah, 1441), the Muslims organised National Special Juma’at prayers against COVID 19 pandemic and other national challenges at Abuja National Mosque with the theme: O ALLAH, HEAL OUR LAND OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC. Still in response to the call of NIREC, the Christians had interdenominational Church Prayer Service on Sunday, July 5, 2020 at the National Christian Centre, Abuja with the theme: O LORD, HEAL OUR LAND OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC (2 Chronicles 7:14). 

 

The events were covered and shown live on the different electronic media. At 9.00 pm news, the Arise television requested my presence. The News presenter, Mr. Christian Ogodo asked me an ancient question, namely, the relationship between Religion and Science. He posed the questions this way: “Is this call to prayer by NIREC Religion against Science?” The use of the word “against” is what provoked this article. Historians, Scientists, Philosophers and Theologians have asked whether religion and science are compatible. The relationship between Religion and Science led to the Copernican Revolution regarding the movement of the cosmos whether the earth rotates round the sun or the sun rotates round the earth. The dialogue between religion and science gave the result of the heliocentric model with the Sun at the centre of the Solar System. Religion and Science have also looked into the issues of creation or evolution (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship_between_religion_and_science).

 

In the modern world, Religion is not against Science. Religion depends on reason and faith while science depends more on empirical findings. COVID 19 has proven very clearly that there is a limit to what reason alone can do. Grace builds on nature and does not destroy it. Prayers enlighten the mind to understand that God is the source of life. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) who discovered that the earth moved around the sun and Emmanuel Kant who through epistemology arrived at the conclusion that objective reality depends on the mind did not depend on science and philosophy alone. When we pray, we are in communion with God, ourselves, our neighbours and the created universe. When we open our minds and hearts to God in prayers, we are challenged to grow, change, and to love. Prayer does not change God. Prayer changes those who pray.

In praying against COVID 19, we open up our minds and will to keep to the rules of the game. Prayer is not separated from work hence in prayer, we ask God to give us the grace to keep the regulations prescribed by government to stop the spread of the virus. Prayer has some therapeutic effect like regulation of the heartbeat. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). One of the means of healing is the faith the patient repose on the medical doctor who believes that the doctors care but God heals. Prayer brings you closer to yourself; reduces life-threatening effects of stress; makes you humble; improves your attitude to life;  opens you up for forgiveness; increases your hope; gives you a better mindset; emotional recovery and assist you on day to day reasons to be grateful to God. 

We are called to prayer because, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Do not let your heart be troubled (John 14.1). Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again, he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops" (James 5:16-18). In prayer faith is very important. “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20). God’s will is always the best. "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done'" (Daniel 4:35)?

Regarding Religion against science, we must never forget that "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). We need to be sincere in our prayers and still know that what we ask for depends on God. "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15). 

We pray with true faith and not with fiducial faith. Answer to prayers does not depend on the eloquence or multiplication of the word of the person that prays. According to Jesus, "When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7-8). Prayer is communicating with God. "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven” (Psalm 107:28-30). God's help through the power of prayer is available for all kinds of requests and issues. With prayer you can overcome your enemies (Psalm 6:9-10),overcome unprovided death (2 Kings 4:3-36), receive true healing (James 5:14-15) and defeat demons (Mark 9:29). In prayer God opens eyes, changes heart, heals wounds, and grants wisdom (James 1:5). This is why the Religious leaders are calling for a change of attitude and to seek the face of God. As we continue the struggle against COVID 19, let us keep to the rules, observe all that are prescribed to stop the spread of the corona virus. May God heal our land and grant us peace and salvation.

Rev. Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua is the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) and the Secretary General of the West Africa Inter-Religious Council (WA-IRC) (nirec.ng@gmail.com)