President Bola Tinubu has called for the promotion of peace in Nigeria, emphasising that there is no place for hate.
He made the remarks on Saturday in Jos, Plateau State, during the burial ceremony of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, the mother of the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nantawe Yilwatda.
Addressing the clergy and all at the event, Tinubu urged them to champion peace as a vital step toward fostering national unity. “Hate is never an option for us. I was born into Islam and have remained a Muslim, while my wife is a pastor. She prays for me, and there has never been any conflict between us. I have never tried to persuade her to convert”, Tinubu stated.
“This must be an opportunity to promote the unity needed. To the clergy, thank you for the promotion of peace. Hate is not an option. We must love one another. Nobody determines what God has ordained. We are praying to the same God. We are answerable to him”.
During his meeting with some Christian leaders at the Headquarters of COCIN Church in Jos, Plateau State, President Tinubu declared that he has a mission to unite Nigerians and assured Christian Communities in Northern Nigeria of his administration’s commitment to ensuring fairness among all religions in the country.
“I have a mission to unite this country, ensure its prosperity, and we are making progress”, the President was quoted to have said in a statement by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga. Emphasising that hate is not an option for Nigerians, Tinubu highlighted his personal example of religious tolerance, noting that he is a Muslim while his wife is a Christian pastor.
“In our family, we have a strong Muslim background; and I married a Christian, a pastor for that matter; and I have never forced her to change her religion”. The President affirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity in the country, especially in the fight against terrorism and banditry. “We are defeating bandits, and we will defeat them. We will deal with them and combat the farmers-herders clashes”, the President stated.
