Nigeria’s religious and ethnic diversity should be a source of strength, not a spark for conflict, according to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda. Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at an international conference on national security and socio-economic development, organized by Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah in partnership with the Muslim World League of Saudi Arabia, Yilwatda made an impassioned plea for peace and reconciliation over division.
Drawing from his own life, Yilwatda said he knows both the pain and the promise of diversity. “I came here to this conversation not as a new person to diversity. I’ve experienced the painful part of diversity, and I’ve experienced the beautiful part of the same diversity,” he told the gathering. He recalled growing up in a community where his father, a pastor, shared a close bond with the local chief imam. The two families visited each other often and marked religious festivals together, showing that faith differences need not create what he called “human distances and separation.”
But Yilwatda also spoke of darker times. After his father was transferred to Bauchi in 1991, their home and neighborhood were burned during a crisis, forcing Christians and Muslims alike to flee to military barracks. He spent roughly three months in an internally displaced persons’ camp, where he saw firsthand how violence spares no one, regardless of religion.
The APC chairman warned that Nigeria still faces serious threats, including terrorism, banditry, communal violence, ethnic tensions, religious intolerance, and hate speech. He did not hold back in criticizing politicians who exploit these fault lines for short-term gain. “We weaponise religion. We weaponise division for political advantage. Temporary advantage, but it leaves permanent damage in our lives,” he said.
Yilwatda urged Nigerians to let their faith inspire respect for the dignity and freedom of others. He called on religious leaders to transform mosques and churches into centers of peace, reconciliation, and responsible citizenship. “Let us preach truth without hatred, conviction without contempt, and truth without incitement. We can preach truth without inciting people. That is the hallmark of teaching as a religious leader,” he said.
He envisioned a Nigeria where Christians and Muslims protect one another and uphold the dignity of every citizen, no matter their religious or ethnic background.
