Religious Tolerance Advocacy: Global NGO Hails BASG Contribution To Intervention 

BY KHALID IDRIS DOYA, Bauchi

A Non-governmental organization, Search for Common Ground has emphasized the need for economic and livelihood intervention in young people through whom desired messages can be driven to communities for the benefit of the larger society.

According to the NGO, the Bauchi state government contribution in this direction has been very positive and receptive with a lot of interactions and consultation meetings as well as guidance from the government. 

The Search for Common Ground Country Director, Hajiya Fatima Ma’adaki Abubakar explained that the intervention also entails actors’ contribution in carrying out initiatives, as it similarly opens doors for high level advocacy.

Haj. Fatima Abubakar was speaking in Bauchi Tuesday at an event on Nigerian Youth Collective Action for Religious Engagement: National Dissemination of Baseline Study Report, where she said that “If you did not have the backing of the government, the likelihood of it not being sustained.”

“So why we are pushing for government support  because we want have institutional engagement in such a way that it could outlived the project, we know that government would also be there, so if government take ownership of the processes and leading it, we would have more results than doing it on our own”, Fatima said.

Youth Care – Search for Common Ground Project Officer, Fatima Danlami gave an overview of the project objectives, saying it is to promote interstate level advocacy to enhance freedom of religion and belief, and promote peaceful co-existence and harmony in Bauchi state.

“The second objective is online engagement which it is new of its kind, where we are working on digital peace building, and this entails working with two categories which are micro influencers and community stewardship to promote peaceful co-existence and freedom of religion and belief by using the online spaces”.

Barrister Yachit Dala, Bauchi state coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission has in her message to the occasion described as very fundamental the rights to religious tolerance as enshrined in section 38 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and universal declaration of human rights.

On his part, the State Commissioner for Religious Affairs and Societal Reorientation, Hon. Yakubu Ibrahim Hamza said that his ministry is set up to bring religious harmony in the state.

He said, “It is true that eighty percent of indigenous population of Bauchi state is Islamic, but the twenty percent also have a right over the goodies of the state, hence the establishment of the ministry by Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed to bring religions under a single umbrella”.

“Even yesterday I had a meeting with the State Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) Chairman and selected Reverends and Pastors in the state. The day before yesterday I had a meeting with Imams and Mallams, so what we get from Imams and Mallams plus what we get from the Reverends and Pastors, put together will be a picture of what we want Bauchi state to like as the important thing”.

Hon. Yakubu Ibrahim Hamza therefore assured that the state government is ever ready and willing to enter into agreements with the various organizations across the state to promote harmony rather than disharmony.