Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, have warned that rising hate speech, religious intolerance and fake news are threatening Nigeria’s unity and peaceful co-existence.
Speaking on Monday during a meeting at the National Mosque in Abuja attended by senior Catholic leaders, including John Onaiyekan and Matthew Kukah, the Sultan described hate speech as one of the greatest threats to interfaith harmony, saying it has created deep “perceptual and relational crises” across religious communities.
He condemned the growing culture of insulting respected religious leaders and urged Muslims and Christians to strengthen cooperation in promoting peace, mutual respect and national unity.
Archbishop Gallagher described his discussions with the Sultan as frank and productive, expressing confidence that Christian and Muslim leaders remain committed to working together for the peace and progress of Nigeria.
The religious leaders also identified fake news as a major driver of violence and instability, while expressing concern over declining moral values and the increasing alienation of young people from religion.
