The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has advocated for intra and inter faith dialogue to end the spate of attacks on citizens in parts of the country.
Oritsejafor made the call in Abuja on Friday at the opening of a retreat of the National Christian Elders Forum.
He said the killings by insurgents in the name of religion were affecting the relationship among adherents of all faiths in Nigeria.
He said: “I wish to use this medium to call on all religious leaders, traditional rulers, as well as political leaders in the nation to come forward, not only to condemn these unwarranted attacks on Nigerian citizens, but also to engage in meaningful intra and inter dialogue to put an end to these senseless killings.
“It is not right that brothers should be killing brothers because they choose to worship God differently.
“We are first and foremost Nigerians before we can be classified by gender or by religion.”
Oritsejafor expressed worry about happenings in the country, adding that whenever issues became complex, the safest step to take was to call on leaders and elders for support.
The clergyman said that inasmuch as religious extremists had provoked the church, Christians did not wish any religion in Nigeria evil.
He also said the objective of the Christian Elders Forum was to deliberate and provide honest solutions to the intractable problems of the nation.
He said: “I wish to state that Christians do not wish any religion in Nigeria evil.
“I understand fully that the sincere objective of the Christian Elders Forum is to deliberate and provide honest solutions to intractable problems in the nation.”
Orisejafor said the country was in need of peace in order to make progress across all segments of its economy.
He said the senseless killings in the name of religion had caused enormous problems in some parts of the nation that would take time to be corrected.
He said: “We need peace in order to make progress in our nation, whether Christians or Muslims.
“We all need peace to move forward.
“The devastation the so-called religious extremism has caused in some parts of the nation will take years to rebuild.”