President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for stronger national and international cooperation to confront emerging security threats facing Nigeria and other parts of the world.

Tinubu said Nigeria was dealing with “multifaceted” security challenges that required coordinated and sustainable responses from governments, international organisations, religious leaders and other stakeholders.

The President spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at an international conference on security organised by Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah, JIBWIS Nigeria, in partnership with the Muslim World League of Saudi Arabia.

The conference, themed “Diversity and Social Peace: Partnership for a Promising Future,” brought together Muslim and Christian leaders, scholars and representatives from Saudi Arabia and other African countries.

Represented by the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, Tinubu said his administration remained committed to working with other countries and international organisations to build a more stable and secure Nigeria while contributing to global peace.

He said the government was collaborating with the international community to ensure that security remained a priority not only in Nigeria but across the world.

According to him, the conference was particularly important given the changing nature of security threats and the need for governments, faith leaders and other stakeholders to address emerging challenges, including threats to national and digital security.

Tinubu urged participants to produce practical recommendations that could complement government efforts to tackle insecurity.

He also called on Nigerians to preserve national unity despite their differences, while commending the Muslim World League for choosing Nigeria to host the conference.

The President assured participants of the Federal Government’s support for initiatives aimed at promoting peace, security and social cohesion.

APC Chairman Urges Religious Leaders to Promote Peace

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, urged religious leaders to make churches and mosques centres of peace, tolerance and human dignity.

Yilwatda said religion should promote peaceful coexistence rather than hatred and division, urging clerics to use their influence to strengthen relationships among Nigerians of different faiths.

“Let us preach faith without hatred, conviction without contempt, and truth without incitement,” he said.

The APC chairman argued that genuine faith should compel believers to protect the lives, dignity and freedoms of people of other religions.

He recalled growing up in Yola, Adamawa State, where his father, a pastor, maintained a close relationship with a Muslim leader.

Yilwatda said the friendship between the two families taught him that religious differences should not prevent people from living together peacefully.

However, he recalled that his family later lost its home and possessions during communal violence in Bauchi, an experience he said demonstrated the devastating consequences of violence committed in the name of religion or ethnicity.

“We may worship differently, but we suffer together. We dream together. We can build together, and ultimately, we can rise and fall together,” he said.

Yilwatda also warned political leaders against exploiting religion and ethnicity for political gain, while urging traditional rulers to promote dialogue and reduce mistrust among communities.

He called on Nigerians to exercise caution when sharing information capable of worsening religious and ethnic tensions, particularly unverified claims that could incite violence.

The APC chairman said Nigeria should strive to build a society where future generations inherit schools, homes and opportunities rather than displacement camps and memories of violence.