The Report of a seminar titled:
Faith, Ethnicity, and Governance: Coexistence Sensitive Policies and Partnerships in Nigeria
VENUE: Rockview Hotel, Abuja
DATE: January 22, 2009

INTRODUCTION

Coexistence International, in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD,organized a one day seminar on Faith, Ethnicity, and Governance: CoexistenceSensitive Policies and Partnerships in Nigeria.

The seminar aimed at:

  • Identifying specific government policies and faith-based civil society activities that have positively or negatively impacted inter-faith coexistence in Nigeria and surface specific reasons why these efforts have had impact they have had;
  • Identifying policy goals around social inclusion for the Nigerian government, as well as advocacy objectives for faith-based CSOs that can contribute to positive coexistence and broaden all faiths’ sense of social inclusion

OPENING CEREMONY

The meeting started with Islamic and Christian prayers by Hussein Al Mustapha and Bishop Bonnet respectively. This was followed by a welcome address by John Moore, the coordinator of Coexistence International. He welcomed participants to the seminar and informed them that Coexistence International organized the seminar with CDD so that participants could look at public policies in Nigeria, and examine what the government is doing that positively or negatively affects religious coexistence in the country.

John Moore gave an overview of the mandate and objectives of Coexistence International as an initiative committed to promoting coexistence at local, national and international levels by strengthening policymakers, practitioners and funders. Coexistence International promotes a complimentary approach to coexistence work through facilitating connections, leanings, reflections, and strategic thinking among those in the coexistence field, and those in related areas, such as democracy, rule of law, transitional justice, sustainable development and cultural work.

Professor Darren Kew from Massachusetts University, Boston in his remarks said coexistence Internationalhas had trainings on coexistence in other parts of the world. In Africa, trainingshave been held in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon.What attracted Coexistence International to Nigeria was the unity despite the religious differences. Professor Kew pointed out that even the United States with diverse religious beliefs cannot boast of the unity in Nigeria, especially after the Civil war.

After the remarks, the seminar proceeded to the first session.

FIRST SESSION

The session was chaired by Dr. Kole Shetima. Panelists for this session included Mr. Kunle Fagbemi, ProfessorBishop Bonnet, Hussein Al Mustapha and Hajia Saudatu Mahdi.

Dr. Kola Shetima,one of the International Governing Council members of CDD and the Country Director, MacArthur Foundationin his welcome address mentioned that he was representing Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim, the Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development who was unavoidably absent. He asked participants to come up with solutions that would foster the peaceful coexistence of Islamic and Christian religions in Nigeria. In conclusion, he thanked CDD and Coexistence international for taking the initiative to organize such a crucial seminar.

First Presentation

Professor Bonnet, Bishop of Catholic Church, Kubwa, was the first presenter. He started by affirming that religion has played a vital role in our society and has contributed immensely to peace and morality in Nigeria. He reminded participants of a time in Nigeria’s history when there was no segregation between Christians and Muslims; when the Muslim children were attending missionary schools that were available then. Children ofChristians and Muslims at that time grew up together; inter-married and became bosom friends. He blamed what Nigeria is experiencing now on misdirection of followers by the religious leaders; long years of military rule; and the perversion of religious tensions by the political elite.

Other reasons mentioned that might have causedreligious crises in Nigeria are high levels of corruption; political and economical instability; inadequate facilities and poor standards of living.

As a way of preventing crises in the country, he stressed the importance of accountability and transparency of office holders.

Second Presentation

The second presenter was Hajia Saudatu Mahdi, Secretary General, Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA).

Hajia Saudatu spoke to the issue of inter-faith coexistencefirst as a concerned citizen, and second, as a Muslim yearning for a relive of the life she lived when she was growing up.

She said in Nigeria, co-existence between the Muslims and Christians have been manipulated and exploited to levels of self destruction, and near annihilation of communities that once lived in perfect peace and harmony. This can be traced to the post civil war period and it has become so perfected that power, and economic resource sharing are now largely negotiated and won along the divides of the leanings of our faith.

Some causes of inter-faith conflicts in Nigeria mentioned in her presentation include:

  • Historical imperfections of the colonial structure of governance which used different and self serving strategies to govern the people of Nigeria
  • Failure of the state inperforming itssocial and economic roles.
  • The manipulations and exploitations of majority of citizens by the elite; in particular the political class.
  • The failure to heed early warning signs of conflicts and the ad-hoc approach by government for the resolution of inter-faith conflicts in Nigeria.
  • The perception of partisanship on the part of security agents that are deployed during inter-faith conflicts
  • Denial and failure to engage dialogue as a tool for co-existence especially in inter-faith conflict scenarios

As a way forward, Hajia Saudatu said Nigeria policy makers should draw up policies that:

  1. Will improve the methods and processes of managing inter-faith conflicts.
  2. Will balance the structures and processes aimed at promoting and sustaining harmonious co-existence.
  3. Are functional in the formationof interreligious bodies charged with the responsibility for dialogue, and fostering coexistence among different faiths.
  4. Are development centered and are targeted at citizens irrespective of religious leanings
  5. Are issues based and allow for the engagement of citizens in order to identify and address their issues and felt needs.

In conclusion, she said public policies that are not citizen focused must be reviewed to downplay those that accentuate or bring to the fore, the sensitive diversities of Nigerians.

Third Presentation

Mr. Ayokunle Fagbemi, Director, Centre for Peace building and Socio-Economic Resource Development (CEPSERD) was the 3rd presenter. He started by saying that the 1999 constitution is a package of aberrations. The constitution contradicts itself and he illustrated the contradictions with the Jos crisis. He referred to section 7 of the constitution that said the state government should solely be in charge of local government affairs. With the Jos crisis, the president set up a commission of inquiryinstead of contacting the state government for an update on the crisis. This led to a court action to challenge the president’s authority to intervene in the state and the attention that was supposed to be given to the victims of the crisis was diverted.

Mr. Kunle also gave the example of FCT administration where since the creation of the FCT, the selection of administrators for the FCT has been tilted towards a particular part of the country. Other sections of the constitution that require amendment mentioned in the presentation include:

  • The Land Use Act,
  • Citizenship and Federal Character.
  • Law enforcement agencies being under the central government in Nigeria

Mr. Kunle said the problem with coexistence in Nigeria started when the government took all the schools away from the missionaries. Nigeria was more united and peaceful then;as compared to the present situation where there has been a proliferation of private institutions.He also pointed out that the Presidency is becoming a ‘cult’ and with a ‘KABIYESI’ (unquestionable) sovereignty because no one seems to question the authority of the president in Nigeria again. Leaders of Faith Based Organizations in Nigeria could have being in the best position to acts as checks and balances for the presidency but they have become political tools and are just concerned with what they can get from political office holders.

As a way forward, he advocated for a thorough review of the constitution to tackle the aberrations, and also, a paradigm shift from perceptions of national security which currently meanssecurity for the incumbent.

Fourth Presentation

“We are United not by religion, tribe or race; but by ideals.” Those were the opening words of Mustapha Hussein, a religious scholarfrom Kano, the fourth presenter. He said all the religions; Christianity, Islamic, Judaism and others are contained in the Holy Bible, Quran and Torah. He said the two holy books; The Holy Bible and the Quran should always be the source of information, and basis of policy making in Nigeria because they contain information about everything needed for peaceful living. He mentioned efforts made by different people to foster peaceful coexistence in his community in Kano, but noted that the response of people of the Muslim faith to meetingsand dialogues that were organized was poor, compared to the turnout of people of the Christian faith. This he attributed to indoctrination against such meetings as a result of ignorance from the leaders of Islamic religion in that community.

As a way forward, he encouraged Nigeria policy makers to draw up policies that will address some of the so called “No go areas” in Nigeria and that, NGOs in Nigeria should be more empowered to increase their delivery in the area of coexistence issues. He closed by saying globalization encourages peaceful coexistence and also that God created us with our different religious leanings so that we can coexist.

Comments on the First session

Presentations from the first panel generated series of reactions. They are:

  • Sam Amadi, Director, Ken Nnamani Centre for Leadership and Development asked if Nigeria could be termed as a religious or secular country. He felt Nigeria can be referred to as more of religious than secular, instead of maintaining a balance between the two. He said the state should be independent of, and be insulated from religion.
  • Emma Ezeazu, General Secretary, Alliance for Credible Elections was of the opinion that the religious circles in Nigeria have not been given adequate attention by the Nigeria government. He advocated for involvement of religious leaders in policy making.
  • Dauda Garuba, Country Coordinator, Revenue Watch Institutesaid secularity should be redefined in Nigeria. He mentioned the need to separate citizenship from secularism.
  • Beni Lar, Representative, Nigerian House of Representatives said constitutional review that will make the issue of citizens’ rights, indigenization and other conflicting issues in the present constitution explicit will proffer solutions to the problems we are having today.
  • Clement Nwankwo, Deputy Country Director, National Democratic Institute said lack of adequate legislation on coexistence issues in Nigeria is a problem that should be addressed.
  • Fatore Olubunmi, Graduate student, University of Massachusetts asked if the government has a role in the training of Imams and Pastors as a way of regulating the messages they pass to their followers.

Responses to the comments

Prof. Bonnet captioned his responses under 3 headings:

Reasons for the Faith Based conflicts:Because the state has failed in her duties, citizens while trying to make up for the failure, want justification for resource allocation and that is where religious conflicts comes in.

What we need to do: A thorough Constitutional review is necessary to unpack some ambiguous phrases in the constitution. Also, the government should endeavor to discharge her duties to the populace effectively

What we can do better: We must intensify our campaigns aroundthe equality of all Nigerians and also encourage practical regards for fundamental human rights.

Mr. Kunle Fagbemi mentioned that there is no constitutional review in Nigeria. The constitution is fiat; the legislators who are supposed to work on the report of the Electoral Reform Committee’s report are at loggerheads. He went on to allege that the Nigerian constitution and bylaws are being used against a particular religious group andhe illustratedhis opinion with a part of the FCT bylaws that mentions that the sale of alcoholic beverages should be stopped in parks. He claimed that this is directed towards the Christians. In closing, he said Nigeria had set up different committees either for inquiries or reviews in the past, and those committees had submitted their reports to appropriate bodies, but none of such reports has neither been utilized nor made public.

Mr. Mustapha in his response urged Nigerians to desist from corruption and insincerity and advised the government to take radical steps to ensure peace and security in Nigeria

Hajia Saudatu advised that the rights of people especially with regards to religion; should be respected; and also, that people should not use religion as a tool for playing politics.

SECOND SESSION

The second session was chaired by Dr Sam Amadi, Director, Ken Nnamani Center for Leadership and Development. The panel was made up of Honorable Beni Lar, Emma Ezeazu, Chom Bagu and Francis Alimigbe.

First Presentation

Honorable Beni Lar, Nigerian House of Representativeswas the first presenter. She said most of the issues has already been mentioned; but added that faith based crises in Nigeria usually arise as a result of social insecurity and climate change because people compete for available resources.

As a way forward she recommended that:

  • Government should develop frameworks for actually delivering basic social services for citizens.
  • Government should be an impartial arbiter in religious conflicts with religious advisers from each faith.
  • The issue of social security should be given attention and a Bill for social security should be sponsored at the National Assembly.

She acknowledged the work CSOs have been doing on coexistence and said to foster their work;they should endeavor to establish vocational centers that serve as platforms for religious coexistence.

Second Presentation

Mr.Chom Bagu, Senior Conflict Program Manager, USAID/Nigeria was the second presenter.He attributed the segregation among faiths in Nigeria to colonial rule and the creation of the Nigeria state. He considered interfaith conflictsto be a result of inadequacies in governance afterthe country’s independence.

He mentioned the popular slogan of “No one gets power except whom God gives” as the reason for poor accountability on the part of politicians to the populace because they claim they are only accountable to God who instituted them. He also mentionedthe lack of frameworks for conflicts resolution, interfaith coexistence and dissemination of findings of enquiry panels as a problem that must be tackled in Nigeria.

Concluding, he recommended diversity in education; provision of social services; transparent and corrupt free governance and a unitary system of government without sentiment for a better coexistence in Nigeria.

Third Presentation

Francis Alimigbe, Provincial Secretary, Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Abuja was the third presenter. Hestarted his presentation by saying that Nigeria is the greatest “islamochristian” society in the world i.e. a country with the highest number of Christians and Muslims. The effect of this is that whatever happens in form of religious crises in Nigeria creates tension within and outside the country. He claimed that if not for religion fanatics and selfish politicians, there won’t be any religious strife in the country.

He identified unity of purpose and shared principles as benefits of inter-faith coexistence and gave some points that must be considered for successful coexistence in Nigeria. These include:

  • Nigeria is yet to become a secular state. Government should dissociate itself from any religion
  • All national formsor data requests should stop inquiring of respondent’s religion
  • The Federal system in Nigeria should be re-structured because, a true federalist state has only the Central and the constituents’ government; there is no 3rd tier of government.
  • Governance should be more participatory; this will reduce the chances of politicians using religion to cause trouble.

Fourth Presentation

The fourth presenter was Emma Ezeazu, Executive Secretary, Alliance for Credible Elections. He started his presentation by saying that the way the state sees religious institutionsin Nigeria, has made it almost impossible for religious institutions to be instruments of true democracy and democratization.Religious institutions, instead of serving as a watch dog for politicians now solicit for what they can get from the government. He condemned the ideology of “God gives power to whoever he wants”. This idea he said, subverts the electorates and their mandates. He encouraged Nigerians to grow a democratic spirit even in their religion as a way of ensuring good governance.

Comments on the Session

Mr. Hussein said without credible electoral processes in Nigeria, there can’t be good governance. He enjoined Nigerians to strive for credibility in electoral processes as a way of ensuring good governance.

Aliyu Ahmadu, Executive Assistant to the Director, Centre for Democracy and Development asked to know how religion being rooted in man, can be separated from man.

Dauda Garuba said it is possible for people to have different religious beliefs and share a common identity as Nigerians but this has been hindered by bad governance. He asked if a settler in one community can become a citizen of the host community in Nigeria.

Abdulsalami Badamasi mentioned the need for youths to be involved in seminars where issues like coexistence are being discussed. He said the youths are the ones that are being used to perpetrate evil during crises so they should be the targets of such seminar.

Responses to the Comments

Democracy was described as selfless political service.

On the issue of settler rights, participants agreed on the need for a system that rewards long term settlement with indigenization by the host community.