NGO advocates for religious tolerance in Nigeria

A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is set to convene a national conference themed “Building A Community of Practice on Promoting Freedom of Religion or Beliefs in Nigeria” as part of efforts to promote religious harmony and beliefs among different adherents in Nigeria.

Briefing the press on Tuesday in Abuja, the Country Director SFCG, Fatima Abubakar, said the focus of the three-day event is to prevent conflict rooted in religious differences and uphold the sacred right to freedom of religion or beliefs in Nigeria as well as dedicated to empowering key figures such as human rights defenders, journalists, civil society and significant influencers to be part of the campaign.

She added that participants are expected to engage, share knowledge and work collectively towards protecting the right to freedom of religion or beliefs for every Nigerian.

“We have set clear goals for this conference. First, to reinforce support for individuals at risk of violations relating to their faith or beliefs. Second, to improve understanding within communities about religious conflicts and the importance of maintaining the freedom of religion or belief. We have also introduced an Early Warning Early Response (EWER) system to promptly address any issues that arise concerning freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).

“An exciting development is the launch of a toll-free line established specifically for reporting incidents that infringe on religious freedom. We have established a proactive dashboard designed to manage these reports and channel them to the appropriate authorities. These include the National Human Rights Commission, the National Orientation Agency, the Legal Aid Council, Nextier, the Police and the Federation of Women Lawyers Association (FIDA), all vital stakeholders who are equipped and ready to take action where necessary.”

The Director General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr Joseph Ochogwu, lauded SFCG for the initiative. He said Nigeria as heterogeneous society and multi-religious country should protect the rights of every individual no matter their religion or belief.

In a related development, the SFCG also launched European Union (EU) Funded in the Niger Niger Delta titled “A Community-centred Approach To Transforming Criminality and Violence in the Niger Delta” with a bid to tackle problems confronting the region, adopts a community-led approach that will encourage local communities to proffer home-grown solutions to the myriad of conflict drivers in the various communities.

To achieve this, the country director said women and youth groups, traditional and political leaders have been taken into consideration and their opinions harvested as part of solutions to the problems.

“The project is designed in such a way that all critical stakeholders at different levels from the state, local government and the communities are marked and identified in partnership with our consortium partners. Our intervention in Rivers State might not necessarily be same as Delta or Bayelsa. We have been working with security personnel, traditional leaders because of their critical roles and their proximity to the communities.”

Tribune Online reports that the 18-month project will be implemented in 33 local government areas (LGAs) and 66 communities in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers State. While all the eight local government areas in Bayelsa are beneficiaries of the project, 12 and 13 LGAs in Delta and Rivers respectively have been selected.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE