The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) on Saturday in Abuja identified hunger and injustice as major causes of insecurity and high level corruption in the country.
The Executive Secretary of NIREC, Prof. Cornelius Omonokhua, made this known while delivering a Keynote Address at a One-Day National Discourse on Corruption, Insecurity and Challenges of National Cohesion in Nigeria: Building Synergy Across Faiths.
The national discourse was organised by Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN).
According to him, hunger is a product of injustice in the distribution of resources.
He said that injustice in Nigeria had taken a ‘structural’ form of conflict and violence.
“The major cause of violence in Nigeria is not religion even though, some of our leaders have politically raped the society and blinded their victims with the garment of religion.
“We must deliver religion from this abuse. The reality is that hunger is one of the strong dividers in human existence while abundant food is a strong connector.
“Hunger has turned some people to slaves, thugs and hero worshippers. Even the devil knows the danger of hunger and how food can make some people worship the creatures in preference to the creator,” he said.
According to him, greed for power and governance has made politics appear like a very serious divider at all levels of human existence in the country.
“This has made politics a double edge sword that can even penetrate the unity that exists in religion and traditional institutions,” he said.
Omonokhua stressed the need for synergy between Christians and Muslims toward nation-building, saying that corruption could be eliminated if only Muslims and Christians would remain faithful to the teachings of their faiths.
He also urged Muslims and Christians to promote peace and unity, stressing that youths and students should make courageous efforts to shun violence and embrace peace.
The National Amir of MSSN, Dr Taofeeq Yekinni, said that the national discourse was conceived to awaken consciousness of Nigerians to the shared moral standards among adherents of the two major religions in the country.
According to Yekinni, none of the two religions condone or encourage corruption and perpetration of violence and terrorism.
He said: “It is important that the people come together to restate the facts of common morality and agree to work together with the moral codes so that the impact of the activities of few bad ones among us may not outshine our standard character.”
