The Coordinator of TEKAN Peace Desk; Helen Philemon-Haggai, has urged lawmakers in Gombe to monitor towards nipping in the bud religious excesses of spiritual leaders in order to maintain the relative peace in the state.
Philemon-Haggai made the plea at a one-day advocacy meeting with legislators of Gombe State House of Assembly on religious tolerance and human rights protection in Gombe.
Our correspondent reports that the meeting with the theme; Faith for Peace: Empowering actors to promote peacebuilding, human rights, democracy and religious tolerance in Nigeria’, is a European Union co-founded project in partnership with Bread for the World implemented by TEKAN Peace Desk in Gombe State.
She disclosed that the project is for a 30-month duration, adding that it implementation commenced since April 2023 to 2025.
Philemon-Haggai noted that the project is implemented in Kwami, Yalmatu-Deba and Billiri Local Government Areas two each of three LGAs, across six communities.
“From our discussion the issue of monitoring function should be taken seriously towards checking religious excesses. If you compare Gombe State to others states in the North there is relative peace and if you look at indices of development is higher in the state,” she added.
On his part, Plateau State former Speaker Istifanus Mwansat, urged government to redirect it focus from periodic sponsorship of pilgrims for spiritual tourism.
Mwansat who doubles as Special Adviser to Plateau State Governor on Special Duties, noted that pilgrimage should be treated as a personal affair, instead of state, adding that citizens whom are not members of the two religions of Islam and Christians are left behind.
Mwansat who presented on understanding freedom of religion in Nigeria constitution and steps to actualising it said, “Funding of pilgrimages which is personal to every individual, you are doing great disservice to a larger percentage of the populace because even the larger numbers of both religions are offen times not beneficiaries.”
“Situations abound when you find people attend yearly because of access to authorities will go to the holyland to either Mecca or Jerusalem on government funding. For us to really practice religious freedom I think government should desist from funding of such because religion is a personal thing between you and God and if you feel very strongly that going on pilgrimage is a prerequisite for whatever you have to fund it yourself and allow government direct resources in other areas,” he added.
Also, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Jos, Zubairu Dagona, raised the alarm over plans by developed climes to recruit Nigerian youths into their army, urging legislators to kick against such.
Dagona, who doubles as Director, Legislative Centre for Security Analysis, National Assembly Abuja, said following the rate of unemployment in the country unsuspecting youths may cash in on that to alleviate their situation.
He said, “There is ongoing movement for recruiting Nigerian youths into some foreign military personnel. I want to frown at that and also advise the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly including Gombe State to eschew that and throw that away let’s guide our children because they will go and fall victims of this. Already the (International Community) has created a large gap in terms of unemployment in Nigeria coupled with our corruption, our youths are doing nothing. They will rush for this recruitment and they will face war soon. If they do that we are going to fight again as we fought in the second world war and Africa, Nigeria will be devastated.
Lamenting the religious intolerance in the country, While presenting on International best practices in promoting religious tolerance and human rights protection in multi-religious context,’ Dagona added, “The problem is caused by personal, illiteracy, sectorial differences and the corruption there is no way politicians can go in without corrupting our pastors, Imams and unfortunately the followers are illiterates. There is a large illiteracy among followership in Nigeria in both faiths coupled with unemployment for the youths. Religions are the same; they are 99 per cent closer than one per cent difference. Emphasis should be placed on the closeness rather than the diversity.”
Also, Speaker Gombe State House of Assembly Abubakar Mohammed, said peace is a fundamental issue that is considered key in governance.
Mohammed while commended TEKAN Peace Desk, EU, Bread for the World for bringing the project to the state noting that the relative peace in the state would be sustained.
