Bauchi commissioner for Religious Affairs, Yakubu Ibrahim has said that the state government has through his ministry prioritised peaceful co-existence and religious tolerance in the state.
According to the commissioner, freedom of religion or belief is not just a right but a responsibility on all responsible citizens.
Ibrahim spoke yesterday in a keynote address titled, “The importance of Religious Freedom for Youth” during the Bauchi State Youth Conference on Freedom of religion or beliefs with the theme “Fostering an Inclusive Environment for Youth to Advocate for Religious Freedom in Bauchi” held in Bauchi.
He assured of total support of the government on the new Nigerian Youth Collective Action Religious Engagement project implemented by Search for Common Ground and its partner, Young Leaders Network, for the strategies of enlightening the youths on the importance of peace in the society.
In her remarks, the country director of Search for Common Ground, Mrs Fatima Abubakar noted that the Nigerian Youth CARE Project came to Bauchi with the support of the Bauchi State government.
The director who was represented by the head of Programme Development, Quality and Reporting, Mrs Gift Omoniwa, recalled that before starting the project, they considered a lot of factors and the environment before implementing the project.
She therefore said their strategy was to work to promote religious tolerance and inter-religious co-existence and stakeholders’ engagement of religious leaders with the youth groups as well as key government partners.
Nigerian Youth Collaborative Action for Religious Engagement, a 24-month project, seeks to empower and promote collaboration among diverse youths in Nigeria, particularly in Bauchi, Plateau and Gombe states to advance inter-religious tolerance and freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).
