“NIREC Will Become Useless If We Continue Like This” — Sultan Explodes at Abuja Meeting

ABUJA — In a rare and blunt intervention, the Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chair of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), HRH Abubakar Sa’ad III, has warned that the nation’s top interfaith body is sliding toward irrelevance due to insincerity and double standards among religious leaders.

Speaking at the Second Tri-Annual Meeting of NIREC in Abuja on Wednesday, the Sultan lamented that the Council has drifted far from the spirit of genuine dialogue that once defined its sessions.

“Many years ago, when I walked in here, the atmosphere was very, very friendly and loving,” he recalled. “Now, unless something is wrong somewhere, we need to ask ourselves some questions.”

The monarch accused some religious leaders of projecting unity during NIREC meetings, only to make inflammatory or divisive public statements afterward — a contradiction he said threatens interfaith harmony and damages NIREC’s credibility.

“We sit down and say good things to one another. Yet when we go out, away from our comfort zone, we begin to say negative things,” he said. “Are we really honest with ourselves?”

His remarks landed amid growing tension over insecurity and allegations of religious persecution. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) used the meeting to demand stronger action against insecurity, while the Federal Government, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator George Akume, dismissed global claims that Nigeria persecutes religious minorities.

Archbishop Daniel Okoh, President of CAN, also delivered a critical assessment of the country’s security challenges, echoing calls for sincerity, collaboration and firmer government responses.

The Sultan concluded by insisting that NIREC must choose its path: continue “in name only,” undergo internal reforms, or return fully to its founding principles of truth, mutual respect and constructive engagement.

The charged atmosphere at the meeting underscored the growing urgency for religious leaders to rebuild trust and strengthen Nigeria’s fragile interfaith cooperation.