The Northern Reconciliation Group (NRG), on Tuesday, paid courtesy visits to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), 19 northern states and the FCT, and the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) headquarters in Kaduna, as part of efforts to promote peace, reconciliation and religious harmony in Northern Nigeria and the country at large.

The delegation, led by the protem chairman of the group, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said the visits were deliberately designed to send a strong message that Muslims and Christians in the North were not enemies and could coexist peacefully despite differences in faith and culture.

Speaking at the CAN Headquarters, Mr Baba-Ahmed said the group was made up of Northern Muslims and Christians who shared core values of justice, peace and mutual respect.

“We consciously decided to come together as Muslims and Christians to say clearly that God did not create us to fight each other.

“There is nowhere in Islam or Christianity where God commands us to see those of another faith as enemies,” he said.

According to him, the group was formed in response to the heavy price paid by ordinary northerners due to religious conflicts fuelled by ignorance, manipulation and opportunism.

“We have come to say publicly that we are not enemies, we will not fight, and we will not continue to fight. We believe that peace, forgiveness and justice are foundations of our faiths,” Mr Baba-Ahmed added.

He stated that the visit, which coincided with the Christmas season, was also to express solidarity with the Christian community and wish them peaceful celebrations.

“We hope this visit sends a signal to Nigerians that ordinary citizens can take the lead in peacebuilding without waiting for government or authority,” he said.

Receiving the delegation, the chairman of CAN, 19 northern states and FCT, and also the deputy chairman of the group, John Hayab, described the visit as timely and historic.

Mr Hayab said Muslims and Christians in the north had lived peacefully for decades before selfish interests magnified divisions and conflicts.

“The common Muslim and common Christian have no business fighting each other.

“We cannot fight for God because God is stronger than all of us.

“What our faiths demand from us is love, forgiveness and peaceful coexistence,” he said.

Mr Hayab assured the delegation that the Christian community accepted the gesture and would reciprocate, stressing that reconciliation must begin from individuals and extend to families, communities and leaders.

“This group is not against any group. It is about reconciliation, restoring trust and rebuilding the north we used to know, where Muslims and Christians lived, worked and celebrated together,” the clergyman added.

The group had also paid a courtesy visit to the headquarters of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), where Mr Baba-Ahmed said the widening gap between Muslims and Christians had become dangerous and must be urgently addressed by Nigerians themselves.

“This is our problem, and only Nigerians can solve it. Foreign interests will not bring us peace. We must close ranks, forgive past wrongs and rebuild broken bridges,” he said.

Responding, the secretary general of JNI, Khalid Aliyu, welcomed the delegation and described the visit as a revival of the North’s long history of religious coexistence.

Mr Aliyu said past generations of Muslim and Christian leaders worked together as brothers and urged Nigerians to return to those values.

“If we truly want peace, there is no shortcut other than going back to justice, sincerity and mutual respect. Religion should unite us, not destroy us,” he said.

He expressed JNI’s readiness to partner with the Northern Reconciliation Group to promote peace, address insecurity and rebuild trust across communities in the region.

The visits were attended by prominent Muslim and Christian leaders, scholars, elders and peace advocates from across northern Nigeria.

(NAN)