Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed the resolve of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration to uphold religious freedom and tasked religious leaders to always uphold interfaith harmony.
The vice president said regardless of anyone's position, the place of faith in the nation is not only critical but provides a framework for comfort among citizens and for the stability of the nation at large.
Speaking on Tuesday when he inaugurated the Board of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the vice president said Nigeria is what it is because it is a nation of God, and this spirituality is of prevailing interest. VP Shettima maintained that Nigeria's strength lies in its diversity of faiths, vowing that there will be no discrimination under the Tinubu-led government.
"Our duty is to provide a safe haven for members of each faith and uphold the rights and freedoms in our constitution," he stated, reminding the board of NCPC's role in easing pilgrimage affairs for Nigerian Christians, a "sacred tradition" that must be prioritised.
The VP urged the new NCPC board members to be unifying figures dedicated to promoting interfaith harmony through compassion, justice, and mutual respect.
He recalled President Tinubu's promise that his government would have no place for discrimination, assuring that the administration is fervently committed to ensuring interfaith harmony remains the ultimate priority.
Speaking earlier, the newly appointed chairman of the NCPC board, Rev. Cletus Gotan, thanked the president for the government's support in sponsoring pilgrimage journeys that encourage the spiritual upliftment of citizens.
"We appreciate the interest of the President and his government in encouraging the spiritual upliftment of our citizens by sponsoring these sacred journeys which will take us to our holy places and teach us about unity," Prof. Gotan said.
The NCPC chairman pledged that the new board would work to improve pilgrimage services. "We will leave the NCPC better than we found it. We would ensure that we go there for prayers for the government, our families and for people," he stated.
