AHEAD of the 2023 general elections, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto Mathew Hassan Kukah and other religious leaders have urged Nigerians to resist polarization along ethnic and religious lines.

Speaking at the Society of African Mission (SMA) 166th-anniversary thanksgiving in Lagos, Kukah noted that division along religious and ethnic lines has continued to impede national development.

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The SMA, one of the missionary groups of priests of the Catholic Church worldwide, has been known for its social services that have benefitted members of the Catholic Church and people from other faiths.

SMA Fathers, a leading humanitarian organisation, apart from establishing pro-human facilities, have also been at the forefront of national cohesion through inter-faith dialogue to foster unity among the people.

The theme of the event, which aims to sensitize Nigerians towards having credible and free elections in 2023, is ‘Conversation on the Role of Faith in Nation Building’.

Kukah spoke of the need for Nigerians to strengthen national cohesion so that the country can develop evenly.

Describing the nation’s diversity as an asset, the cleric urged Nigerians to promote things that could heal existing social disharmony in order not to pass the problems to the younger generation.

“I still don’t understand how religion has been turned into a weapon of social upheavals in our country without such happening in our neighboring countries.

“As a people, we should reject the antics of politicians trying to use our faiths to keep us disunited for their selfish ends.

“There is nothing wrong with religion but what is wrong is our relationship with other faiths.

“Our people should learn to resist those politicians with evil agenda by peaceful protest in order to change them from the old order for a better Nigerian society,” he said.

The Chief Imam of Mende Central Mosque, Maryland, Lagos, Habeeblan Awofeso, said Nigerians should learn to live in peace with one another in any part of the country they find themselves.

Noting that he was a product of a Catholic missionary school, Awofeso said, “By landmass, there were no parts of the country designated by nature as a Yoruba land or Igbo land.”

Also speaking at the event, Bishop of the Orthodox Anglican Church, Anthony Awe, said the church had remained steadfast in its teachings and appealed to political leaders to always emulate the church for a better state.