Disturbed by the religious undertone of Nigeria’s security challenges, a group, Faith and Freedom Africa (FFA), has canvassed freedom of worship and equal religious recognition for every citizen.
At a one-day colloquium in Makurdi, yesterday, Country Contractor of the FFA, Felix Samari, queried why the Nigerian government accords recognition to “only the two main religions of Christianity and Islam as if practitioners of African traditional religion are second-class citizens.”
Speaking at the event, with the theme: ‘Freedom of Religious Beliefs (FoRB)’, explained that the group’s advocacy of freedom of worship and religious tolerance was aimed at protecting the rights of every citizen irrespective of religion or creed.
He said the body’s main concern is not just religion, as the group is championing even the right of atheists to co-exist on equal terms as every other citizen.
A participant and atheist, Terna Sam-Kange, decried the discrimination against non-adherents of Christianity and Islam in the country, and sued for more open-mindedness of Nigerians to religion.
Doosuur Sue, a lady adherent of traditional African religion who also participated in the interaction, bemoaned the non-recognition of African religions and appealed to the government and Nigerians to consider them as citizens with the right to equal opportunities and privileges as every other citizen.
The FoRB trainer, Dr Longji Dambok, decried a situation where the government establishes only Christian and Muslim pilgrim boards and funds them with the commonwealth, while at the same time, excluding other religions.
He noted that discrimination and a lack of proper orientation of the citizenry about religion have bred unhealthy rivalry and religious intolerance.
Dambok canvassed a reorientation and more enlightenment on the benefits of religious tolerance as one of the panaceas for peace in a culturally diverse country like Nigeria.
