Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, met with former Justin Welby to discuss interfaith dialogue and promote religious tolerance.
In a Wednesday statement signed by Busola Kukoyi, the Senior Special Assistant on media to the First Lady, Tinubu, while receiving Welby in her office, said the world must get the right perspective of the various challenges in the nation to be able to proffer appropriate solutions.
According to the statement, she pointed out that the serious efforts aimed at promoting peace and harmony among different interest groups in Nigeria continue, urging global communities to support the effort by refraining from inaccurate framing of security challenges in the country.
The First Lady appreciated the former Archbishop for pointing out that Nigeria’s challenges should be dealt with by Nigerians as they understand better their own peculiarities.
She said, “Listening to one side of the story and then concluding is a wrong approach to conflict resolution. Thank you for opening up this Interfaith Dialogue, and I believe that you should also invite not just the Christians and Muslims but also the Nigerian Security Forces to the dialogue to know what they have been doing.”
The First Lady also commended the nation’s Armed Forces for their gallantry and efforts in fighting the nation’s insecurity challenges.
The First Lady, during the visit of the Former Archbishop, also admonished the Church, not only in Nigeria but the world over, to preach right so that people can live right.
The Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rt Revd Justin Welby, in his remarks, explained that he brings his experience to bear on a matter that not only borders on peace and security in Nigeria, but also reflects on the country’s image as a nation that safeguards freedom of worship.
He expressed that a lot can be achieved for peace in Nigeria, disclosing the interfaith dialogue meeting, set to be convened by the Global Forum for Peace in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of Sheikh Abdallah Bin Baya next week in London.
Rt Revd Welby explained that the dialogue will be inviting 12 Christians and 12 Muslims with the aim of having them listen well to each other and proffer workable solutions to interfaith conflicts, not only for Nigeria but all over the world.
Welby said, “We want to contribute to what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing to promote peace, interfaith-wise. All we are after is enduring peace.
“I am here to smooth the way ahead of the Interfaith dialogue and make sure the meeting addresses all that it should.”
The Former Archbishop was accompanied on the visit by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery.
The audience with the Archbishop of Canterbury comes barely a month after a state visit by President Bola Tinubu, accompanied by the First Lady to the United Kingdom, where sessions on interfaith dialogue and a church service at Lambeth Palace were part of the First Lady’s itinerary.
The statement also revealed that the First Lady received the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, who was in her office to brief her on progress made with the ministry’s Girls in Tech program.
Briefing State House correspondents after meeting with the First Lady, the minister revealed that a dinner will be hosted to showcase innovation and solutions built by participants of the Girls In Tech program, which is set to be hosted in Abuja.
He disclosed that the dinner will be hosted by Senator Oluremi.
He also secured her nod as the face of a campaign to deepen internet penetration and connectivity in rural and riverine areas.
