By:Mayen Etim
KADUNA, North-West, Nigeria – Member, representing Kujuru Constituency in Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Usman Danlami Stingo, has urged residents of the area to imbibed peaceful coexistence, saying it is the only way the Council could be developed.
He asserted this at the end of a 3-day programme tagged: “Intra-Religious/Ethnic Cultural Event – Trust Building Event for Kajuru Local Government Area, organized collaboratively with Mercy Corps, USAID and Interfaith Mediation Center (IMC) under its Community Initiatives to Promote Peace, (CIPP) project in Kaduna on Friday, July 28, 2023.
Hon Stingo who appreciated Mercy Corps, said for many years the organization has anchored peace programmes among different religions, ethnic groups to stay together peacefully in the council.
He called on the citizens to ensure they protect, and lead one another to success as no community is develop in an atmosphere of rancour; urging them to “Do whatever that will bring peace to the council.”
In his remarks, the Agom Kufana, His Royal Highness, Titus Dauda, equally called on all citizens to embrace peace in the area without which the gathering would not have been possible.
The Royal Father prayed that the citizens return home and continue to imbibed peace in their various homes among their neighbors.
He said most of them in the council have been going round talking and preaching peace, affirming that without peace, there won’t be a Kasuwan Magani and the Council. “It is because of peaceful coexistence that brought about a community known as Kasuwan Magani, and Kajuru LGA,” he said.
Also, Chairman of Jama’tul Nasril Islam, (JNI), Kajuru council, Imam Shafiu Hassan, harped on the importance of peaceful coexistence not only at the council, but in Nigeria, because Islam teaches that the closest people to Muslims are the Christians as both religions have so many things in common.
He noted that what united both religions is more than what divides them, adding that “Any Muslim fighting Christian, honestly speaking, does not know what Islam teaches because Islam doesn’t teach violation of partners in religion. We are all equal,” he said.
Similarly, the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Chairman in the Council, Reverend Enoch Kaura, said peaceful coexistence is a Biblical injunction.
According to him, as Christians, we are to pursue peace, meaning, peace is not something gotten in a platter of gold rather it is worked, and struggle for involving both physical, emotional and reconcilation.”Once, one can not reconcile one another there will be no peace,” he said.
“Before now, we have been living at peace with one another. But today, we do not know the teachings and why people are doing and behaving this way. There seems to be dichotomy in the way settlers differs – Muslims on their own, and Christians take their own side. This is not going well for us and the council, and if we want to succeed in life we must work hard to see the benefits of living together as humans as God created us,” he added.
Going down memory lane, Rev Kaura, said back in the 1980s, Kasuwan Magani enjoyed a wonderful peaceful coexistence among the different religions and ethnic groups residents, pointing out that the only thing that mattered then, was humanity who loved and cherished one another.
Giving a brief on the day’s event, an official of IMC on the project CIPP, John Akor, informed that the event was about trust building in the targeted communities of Kasuwan Magani, Maraban Kajuru, Iddon and Ikiru, all in Kajuru LGA.
According to him, the project has created lots of awakening among the Christians, Muslims, Herders/Farmers members who have been meeting for three days discussing and chatting a way forward. “They have resolved to forgive each other and continue to live in peace for the development of their communities.”
Akor explained further that, the event has representatives of all the parties to informed the entire communities of their resolution; pointing out that they equally set up committees that would be responsible for addressing any issues of conflict for quick intervention in order to promote peaceful coexistence among them and to also de-escalate anything like rumours and others that could trigger further crises in the council.
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