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Governor Adebayo
Alao-Akala of Oyo State has called for mutual cooperation among all
Nigerians in the effort to nip the raging sectarian crises in some
parts of the country in the bud.

The governor made
this call in Ibadan on Tuesday while delivering his address at the
quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC)
meeting, held at Mapo Hall, Ibadan.

Mr Akala warned
against allowing the effect of the crises to truncate the new
democratic session and diminish the reputation the country has built
for itself over the last few years.

“By slowing
religious and communal strives to scuttle democracy and good
governance, our avowed commitment to freedom at all levels will be a
fluke,” he said.

Muhammad Sa’ad
Abubarkar, Sultan of Sokoto and Ayo Oritsejafor, President, Christian
Association of Nigeria ( CAN), both co-chairmen of NIREC, have, in
their separate speeches, condemned the recent crises in Jos and
Maiduguri, calling on Christian and Muslim leaders to encourage their
followers to ensure peaceful co-existence with their neighbours,
irrespective of their faith.

Mr Oritsejafor
expressed worries that crises in the country have assumed a new
dimension as attackers now throw bombs to maim and kill innocent souls
in the name of religion.

He called on
leaders of the two major religions to always speak the truth to their
subjects and let them know that God and the constitution of the country
forbid killing of fellow human beings unjustifiably.

The Sultan called
on Nigerians to fully participate in the current political process to
ensure that the nation has free, fair and credible elections in April,
this year.

At an open session held to discuss the effect of religion on the
daily lives in Nigeria, speakers stressed the need to tolerate one
another and ensure that the two religions are practiced as stipulated
in the respective holy books.