The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) held its 2026 First Triennial Meeting in Abuja from 5 to 7 May, bringing together religious leaders, government officials, and interfaith partners under the theme “Religious Literacy for National Cohesion.”
The meeting produced pointed interventions. Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar III pushed back against narratives framing Nigeria’s security crisis as a religious conflict, stating plainly that Muslims were not planning the elimination of Christians and calling on Nigerians to stop attaching religious labels to criminal acts. CAN President Archbishop Daniel Okoh reinforced that position, arguing that religious literacy required more than doctrinal knowledge—it demanded active sensitivity to the beliefs and lived experiences of others. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume extended the frame toward the 2027 elections, charging faith and traditional leaders to prevent political manipulation at the grassroots.
The African Council of Religious Leaders – Religions for Peace (ACRL-RfP) was represented at the meeting by Dr. Rozilla Adhiambo, Regional Advisor on Integral Human Development, standing in for Secretary General Dr. Francis Kagema Kuria. Dr. Adhiambo reaffirmed ACRL-RfP’s commitment to deepening interfaith collaboration across Africa and commended NIREC for its sustained contribution to national cohesion. She invoked the Council’s vision of Sacred Shared Flourishing—the principle that faith communities must move beyond dialogue toward concrete action in service of human dignity and collective wellbeing.
The full communiqué is attached below.