By Angela Atabo
Search for Common Ground , Nigeria, a peace building Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) has called for a collective effort toward promoting religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country.
The group’s Country Director, Fatima Abubakar, made the call at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
She noted that the idea was basically to the search for a ‘Common Ground National conference on freedom of religion or belief in Nigeria.
According to Abubakar, the call serves as an opportunity for Nigerians to raise their voices to redefine the narrative and build a robust community of practice on promoting freedom of religion or belief in the country.
She said that the conference which formed part of the “Promoting and Protecting Freedom of Religion and Belief (PP-FORB) project, was supported by the Dutch Embassy in Nigeria.
The group’s country director added that the PP-FORB Nigeria project, was dedicated to empowering key figures such as human rights defenders, journalists, civil society groups and significant influencers.
” Our focus is to prevent conflicts rooted in religious differences and uphold the sacred right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Nigeria.
“The clear goals for the conference is firstly, to reinforce support for individuals at risk of violations, relating to their faith or beliefs.
“Secondly, it is to improve understanding within communities about religious conflicts and the importance of maintaining the freedom of religion or belief.
“Lastly, it is to introduce an Early Warning Early Response (EWER) system, to promptly address any issues that arise concerning FoRB,” she said.
Abubakar said that an exciting development would be the launch of a toll-free line at the conference, established specifically for reporting incidents that infringe on religious freedom.
She said that organisation had also established a proactive dashboard, designed to manage the reports and channel them to the appropriate authorities.
“The conference proper which will hold on Feb. 28, is with the themed: Building a Community of Practice an Promoting Freedom of Religion or Beliefs in Nigeria; encapsulates our agenda.
“We will bring together, active participants to engage, share knowledge and work collectively toward protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief for all in Nigeria,” she said
Dr Joseph Ochogwu, Director General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, commended the organisation for the initiative adding that Nigeria is challenged with issues of conflicts and all hands must be on deck to address them.
“In the business of promoting peace building, you can’t do it alone. It will take the collective effort of all stakeholders.
“The conference is coming at a time when we need to build the confidence and trust of Nigerians, in one another and ensure peaceful coexistence to build a united country.
“We will work especially with religious stakeholders to achieve this,” he said.
Ochogwu however urged media practitioners to play their roles in ensuring that the rights of individuals and groups in Nigeria were upheld to foster peaceful coexistence.(NAN)
