By Sade Afe
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Religion is practised in an atmosphere of peace. Where there’s religious disharmony, such nations and states don’t progress.
In Ondo State, peace has been the cornerstone of the administration headed by Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
Ondo State has been enjoying peace in the last eighteen months of Arakunrin’s government as christian and muslim adherents have been living in peace. Religious harmony in the state is a concept that indicates that there is love, attraction among people of different faith in Ondo State.
Religious harmony is a must, it is important and it is the need of the hour to make this world a happy place to live.
According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, most conflicts in the name of religion are actually not based on religious faith but because of power and money. All religions promote love, forgiveness, tolerance, self discipline, moral principle, truth and justice. The very purpose of religion was to create inner peace.
His Holiness said there was a close connection between people’s mental well-being and their physical health. In this ever shrinking global village called the world, there’s increasing interaction between adherents of various faith.
In Ondo State, there’s love between Muslims and Christians. There’s tolerance, hence, the state is attracting development. If there is religious tolerance, there would be peace and if there is peace, it will bring development in all areas, materially, financially and economically.
Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC) is a body set up to promote inter-religious harmony in Nigeria. The devastations and other negative consequences of religious conflicts over the years informed the formation of NIREC in 1999 by Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) with the active support of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
As a lover of peace, the Ondo State Governor Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said during the celebration of his one year in office that his administration will not encourage religious segregation so that the peaceful co-existence being enjoyed among the religious bodies will be sustained.
“Religion must not cause crisis, we must see ourselves as one,” he noted.
Due to his friendly disposition to religious harmony, the Governor appointed five Muslims as Commissioners among whom are: Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Ismaila Olurimisi, Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Rt. Hon Taofiq Abdusalam, Commissioner for Natural Resources, Mr Rasheed Badmus, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Mr Saka Yusuf Ogunleye. As he appointed Muslims as Commissioners so he appointed Christians.
Speaking on religious harmony in Ondo State, Chairman, Ondo State Muslim Welfare Board, Mr Khleel Fawehinmi said “despite the governor being a Christian, he has been fair to both Muslims and Christians. The hajj camp was taken from us by the past government but when Governor Akeredolu came on board, he went there and saw that the ground had been used by the government for Infectious Disease Hospital and he gave us another land with the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). The land is three times what was taken from us.
“Also, when it was time for Muslims to travel for hajj to Saudi Arabia, because of paucity of funds, he could not sponsor anybody for hajj but he gave us money to do some other necessary things.
“The Governor said, you know we have to pay workers’ salaries and there is paucity of fund, so we will not sponsor anybody this year. My counterpart in the Christian Welfare Board is a friend, he came to me and asked how many people the governor sponsored for the hajj, I told him none, he said it is the same thing with them, so what he did for Muslims is what he did for Christians. Governor Akeredolu is not biased in his religious disposition. He is fair to both Christians and Muslims.”
The Chairman, Ondo State Muslim Welfare Board also commended Akeredolu for breaking fast with the Muslims during Ramadan.
“Despite being a Christian, the governor joined Muslims in Ondo state to observe Ramadan Iftar at the Dome, Igbatoro Road, Akure.
“Governor Akeredolu has always associated with Muslims to observe their major religious festivals in the state,” he concluded.
In his contribution, the Chief Imam of Akure, Alhaji Abdulhakeem Yayi Akorede, praised the Governor for his laudable projects and programmes for the Muslim community in the state.
“Despite the fact that we didn’t work for him during the campaign, he has done well for us. Without writing any letter or seeing him, he has rebuilt the dilapidated Akure Muslim School.
Nobody believes that his administration will perform this well. We are among those who thought we should fold our arms and see what happens after four years. When we didn’t get a Muslim Governor or Muslim Deputy Governor, we gave up. I must confess that Mr Governor has really surpassed our expectations”.
According to Yunus Junaid, the President, Akure NASFAT (Nasru-Lahi-IL-FATHI Society of Nigeria, said the governor is trying to promote religious harmony in the state by accommodating all religions in the state.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) chairman, Ondo State chapter, Pastor Ayo Oladapo said Governor Akeredolu is a father to all, and has been relating with all same way without preferential treatment. “I know that he has not been a threat to any religious body. Christian and Muslim religions are the two major religions I can talk about, though I may not be able to cite examples but I know he is relating well with both religions very well.”
The Chairman, Ondo State Christian Welfare Board, Rev. Agboola Raphael Ayodeji is of the opinion that the governor has been promoting religious harmony in the state “because there was no programme we invited him to that he would not attend. “He is always supporting our programmes”.
He added that the governor has organised a meeting that comprised of christians, muslims and the traditionalists but the meeting could not hold because he traveled then.
“I and my counterpart in the Muslim Welfare Board are very close, it is the governor that brought us together, he did not give room for discrimination that is why there is peace in the state.”