The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams has charged religious leaders and individuals to shun fanaticism and seek unity in order to foster peace across the country.
Adams, who maintained that religion should not be used as a tool of perpetuating evil, condemned the actions of extremists in the Northern part of the country that have taken religion beyond the normal practice.
At the eighth edition of the Annual Ramadan Lecture organised by the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in Lagos, where Sheikh Jamiu Amiolorun was the Guest Lecturer with many Islamic clerics and traditional leaders in attendance, he applauded Muslim faithful in the South West region for being moderate in practising the Islamic faith.
While noting that the lecture was designed to explore the beauty of the Islamic religion and promote religious harmony, Adams stated: “As the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, I subscribe to the three major religions, and that same belief also applies to all members of the OPC. Our efforts to liberate our race from bondage are beyond religion, so I think it is our responsibility as a group to accommodate all religions in order to ensure peace and unity.
“Nigeria has remained where it is today because we have used religion as a tool for discord. I think we can move forward, if we can retrace our steps.
“During Ramadan you see the rich identifying with the poor. They share and extend their hands of generosity to the poor and the downtrodden in society because they know the importance of the holy month of Ramadan.”
In his lecture, Amiolorun dwelled on the need for Nigerians to be closer to God.
