Christian, Muslim Youth Leaders Seek Unity, Reject Political Violence

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Christian and Muslim youth leaders have called for greater religious unity, responsible political participation and closer collaboration with security agencies to prevent violence and safeguard Nigeria’s peace.

The leaders made the call at the National Christian Youth Security Summit and Thanksgiving, organised by the National Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) in Abuja.

The three-day summit, which ended yesterday at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, had the theme,

“Empowered for Leadership, Service & Nation Building.”

The gathering brought together Christian and Muslim youth leaders, clerics and other stakeholders to discuss insecurity, national cohesion, youth leadership and preparations for the 2027 elections.

Representing the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the zonal secretary, North Central Zone, Dr Simon Dolly, said the summit was timely as the country approached another general elections.

He said the outcome of the summit must go beyond speeches and resolutions, urging participants to translate the lessons into concrete actions capable of promoting peaceful elections.

“Like you can see, a programme like this security summit is very key at this time because we have been preparing towards the election,” he said.

He urged Christian youths not to allow themselves to be used by politicians or other individuals to cause violence, stressing that they were future leaders with a responsibility to protect the country.

According to him, governing Nigeria requires exceptional wisdom and divine guidance because of its complex ethnic and religious composition.

“The President is doing his best and we, the religious leaders, especially the Christian youth, should back him and support him so that we should not be part of terrorism or this crisis,” Dolly said.

He also called on the Federal Government to deepen youth inclusion in leadership, arguing that inadequate mentoring and grooming of young Nigerians before placing them in positions of responsibility had contributed to some of the country’s challenges.

Dolly said youth-focused programmes such as the summit would help equip young people with the knowledge and values required for responsible leadership.

“If people are groomed like this, what we’re doing for these young people now, they are groomed and equipped on this security discussion, and they’ll know what to do. They will not allow anybody to mislead them,” he said.

Also speaking, the national president of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NCMYO), Sani Sulaimon Maigoro, called for an end to religious and ethnic divisions, saying Nigerians must first recognise themselves as citizens of one country.

He said national security should be regarded as a collective responsibility of Christians, Muslims and people of other faiths.

“For us to accept the reality that we are first Nigerians and Nigeria is our country. Together, we live and prosper, and when we are divided, we all suffer,” Maigoro said.

He maintained that Nigerians were stronger in number and capacity than those seeking to exploit religious and ethnic differences to destabilise the country.

According to him, unity would enable Nigerians to confront terrorism, banditry, communal violence and other security threats.

“If Nigerians accept this reality, we are much, much more in number; we are much more in strength than those few negative, evil ones,” he said.

Maigoro said his presence at the Christian youth summit was a demonstration of solidarity between Muslim and Christian youths.

“Nigerian Muslim youth are together in solidarity with Christian youth, with everybody, towards securing and making Nigeria a better place for all,” he said.

The national chairman of YOWICAN, Ven. Ademola Daniel Arowolo, said the summit was primarily aimed at sensitising Christian youths to their role in protecting lives and contributing to national security.

Arowolo said security was not the exclusive responsibility of security agencies, urging youths to remain vigilant and proactively contribute to security in their communities.

He said the decision to invite Muslim youth leaders was deliberate, stressing that Nigerians must understand that religious differences should not prevent them from working together for the common good.

“We invited our faith counterparts, the Muslims, to come to us and see because the people don’t know in Nigeria that we are one,” he said.

Arowolo urged youths to reject attempts to recruit them for political violence as the 2027 elections approach.

He said young Nigerians should instead take advantage of government initiatives in entrepreneurship, employment and empowerment.

“My advice for the Nigerian youth today… is that if somebody meets you for violence or anything, tell them that you shouldn’t come. This is our land, this is our country,” he said.

He said the summit was also designed to equip youths with the knowledge needed to contribute meaningfully to national security.

Former national president of YOWICAN, Engineer Daniel David Kadzai, charged Christian youths to work closely with security agencies and promptly report suspicious activities.

Kadzai said security was everybody’s business, urging Nigerians to embrace the principle of “when you see something, say something.”

He urged Christian youth leaders to take the message of peace, vigilance and national responsibility to their various groups and communities.

“Why we are having these challenges today is because some people conceal some information from the relevant security agencies,” he said.

Kadzai, however, advised Nigerians to ensure that security information was reported to appropriate and responsible authorities rather than indiscriminately circulating sensitive information.

He said the summit was not about blaming any group for Nigeria’s security challenges but about bringing stakeholders together to develop practical solutions.

“What we need to do now is to bring everybody on board to contribute his own quota, to see that the security of this nation is guaranteed for everybody,” he said.

Kadzai also urged Nigerian youths to vote in the 2027 elections based on the records and performance of political leaders.

He specifically appealed to Christian youths to support President Bola Tinubu, citing infrastructure development, security investments and government interventions targeting different sectors of the economy.

“All of us are here in Abuja today. We drove on a very beautiful road. We drove in the night and we see that you can see somebody from at least three kilometres because the lights are there,” he said.

He also cited government interventions for students and artisans, as well as increased defence spending, as evidence of the administration’s focus on national development and security.

Kadzai urged Christian youths across the country to support Tinubu for a second term, saying the administration had, in his assessment, done significant work for Nigerians irrespective of religious affiliation.

“I will ask the Nigerian Christian youth who are here and also across Nigeria to vote for Mr President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because he has done so much for not only the church or not only the Muslims but for Nigerians,” he said.

On the removal of the petrol subsidy, Kadzai defended the policy, describing the hardship associated with it as temporary and arguing that Nigerians would eventually benefit from the reform.

“The pain is just for a moment. Very soon all of us will see the dividend of this subsidy removal,” he said.

The leaders at the summit subsequently urged Nigerian youths to shun political violence, resist religious manipulation and work with security agencies to protect their communities as the country moves towards the 2027 elections.

They also stressed the need for sustained interfaith engagement, youth empowerment and greater inclusion of young Nigerians in governance as critical measures for building a peaceful and stable Nigeria.