The Guild of Interfaith Media Practitioners Nigeria (GIMP-Nigeria) has called on Nigerians to strengthen ethnic and religious tolerance, describing peaceful coexistence and national unity as critical foundations for the country’s socio-economic development.
In a 66th Independence Day anniversary message by its Secretary of its Governing Board, Samuel Egburonu Esq., GIMP-Nigeria said that the anniversary should go beyond ceremonies and patriotic celebrations.
The Guild urged Nigerians to reflect on the country’s journey and the kind of nation they intend to bequeath to future generations.
According to Egburonu, Nigeria’s ethnic, religious and cultural diversity should be regarded as a national asset rather than a source of division.
He cited the Qur’anic injunction in Surah Al-Hujurat 49:13, which teaches that humanity was created into nations and tribes “that you may know one another”, alongside the biblical teaching in Psalm 133:1 on the goodness of people dwelling together in unity.
The GIMP-Nigeria Secretary said the teachings demonstrated that peaceful coexistence was not merely a social convenience but a moral responsibility.
Egburonu also drew attention to the economic consequences of ethnic and religious intolerance, arguing that insecurity and communal conflicts undermine businesses, agriculture, investment and employment.
He said that violence often forces businesses to close, drives farmers away from their fields, destroys homes and schools, displaces communities and discourages investors.
“When ethnic or religious tensions rise, investors become more cautious”,” he said, adding that distrust among communities also make economic cooperation more difficult.
He therefore described peace as “not merely a spiritual virtue” but an important economic resource capable of creating an environment conducive to investment, entrepreneurship, trade and innovation.
According to him, Nigeria cannot fully realise its socio-economic potential without deliberate investment in social cohesion and interfaith understanding.
The Guild urged Nigerians to recognise their interconnectedness, stressing that no ethnic, religious or geographical group could build the country in isolation.
Egburonu said the relationship between farmers, traders, transporters, manufacturers and consumers demonstrated the extent to which Nigerians depend on one another.
He also urged Nigerians from different regions to see the country as a shared project, rather than allowing ethnic, religious or political differences to become instruments of hatred.
“Our destinies are intertwined,” he said, stressing that Nigeria’s diversity should provide a platform for cooperation rather than competition driven by fear and suspicion.
The Guild also placed a special responsibility on religious leaders, including imams, pastors and priests, to use their platforms to promote peace, reconciliation and responsible citizenship.
Egburonu warned that messages delivered from mosques, churches and online platforms could either calm tensions or deepen resentment, depending on how they were communicated.
He called on Muslim and Christian leaders to speak consistently against violence, hate speech, religious bigotry and ethnic discrimination.
“Faith should build bridges, not walls,” he said, citing Qur’an 5:32 and Romans 12:18 as examples of religious teachings emphasising the sanctity of human life and peaceful coexistence.
He urged religious adherents to understand that disagreement over beliefs should not turn fellow citizens into enemies.
Beyond peaceful coexistence, GIMP-Nigeria advocated greater practical cooperation among Nigerians of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds.
The organisation proposed increased collaboration between Christian and Muslim leaders in supporting vulnerable families, promoting education and youth entrepreneurship, and developing community-based security and development initiatives.
It also urged religious institutions to create platforms where young Nigerians from different backgrounds could interact, exchange ideas and develop joint ventures.
The Guild maintained that interfaith engagement should not be activated only during crises but should become a permanent instrument of national development.
As an organisation focused on interfaith media engagement, GIMP-Nigeria also called on journalists and media practitioners to exercise greater responsibility when reporting religious, ethnic and communal issues.
Egburonu said the media could either deepen social divisions or contribute to reconciliation.
He urged journalists to uphold accuracy, verification, fairness and sensitivity, particularly in conflict-related reporting.
He warned that misinformation and inflammatory content could spread rapidly through social media, potentially escalating tensions.
The Guild therefore called for journalism that “informs without inflaming, investigates without demonising and reports conflict without unnecessarily widening it.”
The organisation also identified Nigeria’s youth population as a major national resource that requires purposeful investment.
Egburonu said unemployment, frustration and identity politics could expose young people to manipulation and violence.
He called for greater investment in entrepreneurship, technology, agriculture, creative industries and innovation, while encouraging young Nigerians to participate in interfaith and intercultural activities.
“Our young people should inherit opportunities rather than prejudices,” he said.
The Guild further called on government and public institutions to strengthen citizens’ confidence in the fairness of national institutions.
It identified justice, accountability, equal citizenship, effective security and equitable access to opportunities as important elements of national cohesion.
Egburonu said security could not be achieved through force alone, arguing that intelligence gathering, community participation, dialogue, trust and prevention were equally important.
He consequently advocated stronger collaboration among government, religious organisations, traditional institutions, communities and the media in addressing insecurity and strengthening social cohesion.
According to GIMP-Nigeria, Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary should remind citizens that nation-building remains an unfinished project.
The Guild urged Nigerians to reject ethnic superiority, religious bigotry, permanent suspicion and the use of identity as a weapon for political mobilisation.
It called for a citizenship culture in which every Nigerian is valued regardless of religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.
The organisation further urged parents to teach tolerance, religious leaders to preach peace, journalists to report responsibly, traditional rulers to promote reconciliation and political leaders to foster unity.
It also called on young Nigerians to choose innovation and enterprise over violence and hatred.
The Guild envisioned a Nigeria where religion would not determine the value placed on a citizen’s life, ethnicity would not determine access to opportunities and political differences would not become permanent hostility.
Egburonu said such a Nigeria would provide an environment in which agriculture, industry, education, investment, innovation and entrepreneurship could flourish.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to build bridges rather than walls, embrace dialogue over confrontation and cooperation over division.
“Let us choose truth where misinformation threatens peace, and let us choose Nigeria where narrow ethnic and religious interests seek to divide us,” he said.
He reaffirmed GIMP-Nigeria’s call for a country defined by peace, justice, tolerance, inclusive development and shared prosperity, and wished Nigerians a peaceful 66th Independence Anniversary.
