The immediate past president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan spoke about Nigerian Christians and their challenges, Niger Delta issue, amongst other things while meeting with the United States Congress House Sub Committee on Africa.
A spokesperson for Mr. Jonathan, Ikechukwu Eze, said the meeting was part of efforts of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation to fulfill its mission to promote peace and prosperity in Nigeria and Africa.
The statement said the former president, who was invited by the U.S. Congress subcommittee and spoke in his capacity as Chairman of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.
Mr. Jonathan, who left office in 2015 after six years, said the implementation of the resolutions of the 2014 National Conference is the panacea that will prevent ethnic and religious tensions that lead to crises such as the recent Southern Kaduna killings.
He said it became clear to him during his administration that if the issue of religion is not handled properly, the unity of the country would be in great jeopardy.
He said his administration was able to reach out to the then president of Christian Association of Nigeria Ayo Oritsejafor and head of the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto respectively and with the help of a body known as the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) , he brought Christian and Muslim leaders together “so they could talk to each other not at each other.”
The former president said his administration drew a line between religion and extremist and was able to make those who were at the verge of crossing such line renounce it publicly, amongst the Islamist.
He concluded; “To summarize on the issue of ethnic and religious conflicts, I recommend the establishment of the Religious Equity Commission, enforcement of our laws without fear or favor and maximum cooperation by all Nigerians especially our revered religious leaders and clerics.”
