The Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Engr. Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has said that enhancing collaboration between religious leaders, government institutions and civil society can strengthen faith-based contributions to national development and foster inclusive and ethical governance.
He stated that religious institutions, trusted by communities, are key partners in promoting climate action, social welfare and peace-building, adding that integrating religious teachings with modern development frameworks helps to address poverty, environmental challenges and social inequality.
In a release by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin made the call on Saturday in Oyo town at the official commissioning of the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola building and fundraising for the construction of the Imam Daud Igi-Ogun Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies.
Oba Owoade noted that fostering unity in diversity should be a key feature for a country such as Nigeria, which has rich ethnic and tribal diversity.
“Accord, acceptance and understanding are necessary to counter conflictual division. Every so often, the camaraderie of Nigerians is tested by the very diversity that defines us,” he said.
According to him, “It is also pertinent that we need to begin to do away with negative stereotyping of ourselves as Nigerians. While negative stereotypes exist around the world, as a people, we need to come together as a nation and with a single voice on how to salvage our fatherland.
“A full comprehension of unity speaks to the willingness of members of a society to cooperate with each other in order to thrive. In practice, unity in diversity includes accepting both agreement and disagreement; it leads to methods that embrace consensus, while accepting contestations in ways that do not entertain far-reaching, negative stereotypes that develop into enemy images,” the Alaafin pointed out.
The Paramount Ruler and Superior Head of Yorubaland went further: “In this country, we must continue to work towards exploring approaches to fostering unity in diversity, while embracing all the individualistic characteristics that make all the ethnicities of Nigeria parts of one whole.
“In order to live together across ethnic and tribal differences, it is essential for us to nurture that very important concept of unity in diversity by accepting the characteristics of every one of ‘us.’ Unity in diversity, then, requires a recognition of unity without uniformity, and diversity without fragmentation.”
He enjoined wealthy individuals to commit all resources at their disposal to realising the goals of reaching the hopeless and those whose faith in the saving power of God is ebbing.
He stressed that regardless of the faults some people find with religion, it still remains one of the fortresses where one can draw succour.
“It is still the sanctuary where the hopeless receive the ministration of hope. The present global condition, in all its acutely disturbing realities, reveals a world in need of dire divine intervention. It is a world where human efforts in providing relief and peace are increasingly becoming inadequate. The challenge, therefore, for those who bear the light of salvation is for them to reach out to the lost. This is one important duty that Islam and Christianity demand of adherents,” he said.
Oba Owoade lauded the Founder and Proprietor of the Islamic Institute, Sheikh Daud Igi-Ogun, for his peaceful and developmental initiatives to his country home, which he said should be emulated by the upcoming generation.
He also commended Governor Adeleke for his visionary administration towards improving the socio-economic well-being of the people of the Pacesetter State.
Also speaking, Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke, said the imperative of unity in diversity is a foundational necessity for peaceful coexistence, national stability and collective progress in multicultural societies like Nigeria.
“It allows distinct groups to keep their unique languages, cultures and traditions while sharing a common national or collective identity, as differences are treated as a source of creative and social enrichment rather than an excuse for conflict or fragmentation. Empathy, tolerance, religious tolerance and cross-cultural understanding grow when communities actively respect different ways of life,” the governor said.
Governor Adeleke, who commended the Alaafin’s bold initiatives towards peace, unity and stability in Yorubaland, described him as a “Monarch to behold.”
In his address, Sheikh Daud Igi-Ogun, who thanked Allah for the divine wisdom towards the establishment of the institute, said “religious education serves as a vital tool for promoting peace, moral integrity and societal development in the country when taught through rational, universal and just principles.”
Sheikh Igi-Ogun submitted that “positive religious teachings strengthen social bonds and drive community growth, as well as promote honesty and moral soundness to build a healthy, clear conscience rather than a sick one.”
