Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and representative of Pope Leo XIV – Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher – have urged for concerted action against extremism, hate speech and fake news.
The Guardian reported that the religious leaders made the plea yesterday during a courtesy visit by Archbishop Gallagher to the Sultan at the National Mosque in Abuja.
Joining Gallagher were senior officials of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, including Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Abuja John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Ignatius Kaigama and the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto Most Rev. Matthew Kukah.
After the closed-door meeting, the Deputy Secretary-General of the NSCIA, Prof. Salisu Shehu, who spoke on behalf of the Sultan, said the visit emphasised the need for further interaction between the two faiths in addressing the growing social and moral concerns.
Shehu said discussions centred on how to create mutual understanding and enhance collaboration among religious communities to promote peace and security.
Gallagher, meantime, said the talks had been frank and enlightening, and he was encouraged by the amount of agreement between the Vatican and the Sultan on the role of religious leaders in nation-building.
“The visit has been very, very positive, I was really pleased to be asked by his Eminence the Sultan.
“It was a frank and illuminating conversation,” he said. “It was good to hear that many of our positions coincide, regarding the role of religious leaders, both on the Catholic side and the Muslim side.”
The encounter occurred a day after President Bola Tinubu hosted Archbishop Gallagher at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking during the tour, the president said Nigeria wanted to strengthen its ties with the Holy See and he looked forward to welcome Pope Leo XIV to the country.
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