Nigerian Christian and Muslim leaders are set to sign a peace agreement during a one-day Peace Declaration Summit billed to hold on Tuesday September 18, 2018 in order to demonstrate their commitment to the promotion of peaceful co-existence among their faithful.
The main purpose of the summit, which is organised by the Nigerian Inter-Faith Action Association (NIFAA), is to bring together the nation’s religious leaders to declare peace among Muslims and Christians in the country, denounce intolerance and promote tangible development outcomes.
The event that is slated to hold in Abuja is to be attended by their Eminences, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Dr Samson Ayokunle. Members of the diplomatic corps and political leaders and development partners, among others, are also billed to attend the event.
The one-day summit is taking place ahead of the commemoration of the 2018 International Peace Day on September 21 as declared by the United Nations. The General Assembly of the UN had passed a resolution in 1981 establishing declaring every September 21 as the International Peace Day in order to promote the “strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and people.”
NIFAA, an interfaith body that has several international partners, has so far trained no fewer than 2,000 Nigerian religious leaders and equipped them with relevant skills to deliver health and peace messages to their followers.