The Muslim Christian Youth Confederation of Nigeria (MCYCN) has called on followers of the two major religions in Nigeria to imbibe the spirit of tolerance and oneness in order to permanently end the religious crisis in the country.
Mr Emmanuel Ifuma, the National President of the group, made the call on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Owerri.
Ifuma said that the organisation was concerned about the existence and repercussions of religious intolerance between faithful of the two religions in the country.
He said that the group was perfecting its arrangements to organise a seminar across the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He said that they would deploy their state executives to sensitise both the Muslim and Christian youths on the need for religious tolerance.
Ifuma said that the seminar would help to find a lasting solution to the festering menace of religious intolerance in the country.
He further said the seminar would provide the platform for members of the group to further spread the message of unity, tolerance and togetherness among all Nigerians, irrespective of faith and tribe.
He said: “We have secured a proposal through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to hold the seminar for Nigerian youths.
“We are calling on Nigerians to seize the opportunity to disabuse their minds on religious and tribal sentiments and see Nigeria as one nation.”
He admonished Nigerians to make the unity of the country paramount in all their endeavours, saying, “In Mecca, the base of Islam, Christians and Muslims live harmoniously.”
Ifuma said that hate speech and religious intolerance in Nigeria had led to unwarranted killings of innocent Nigerians and that MCYCN was poised to end the ugly trend.
He called on Nigerians to be patriotic in all their dealings and to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda to take the country to the next level.