The Federal Government on Wednesday called on bishops and all religious leaders to make peacebuilding a core part of national security and to use their influence to promote unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, made the call at the grand finale of the 12th Synod of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria and the International Communion of Charismatic Archbishops, Bishops and Apostles held at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja.
Idris, who delivered the keynote address, said preserving Nigeria’s unity could not be left to government alone.
“Keeping this country united requires more than government action. It requires responsible leadership across society, including religious leadership,” he said.
He urged the clerics to promote responsible citizenship and peaceful democratic participation, and cautioned against portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a religious war, noting that terrorists and criminal groups had attacked Nigerians across all faiths.
The minister said the administration of President Bola Tinubu had strengthened intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation and military operations, adding that approximately 1,000 terrorist elements, including dozens of their leaders, were eliminated in the first quarter of 2026.
He also cited the August rescue of 308 abducted Nigerians in Niger and Kwara States as evidence of sustained security efforts.
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“No election should be allowed to turn Christian against Muslim, Muslim against Christian, North against South, or one ethnic group against another. Nigeria belongs to all of us,” Idris said.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting religious freedom and urged religious leaders to steer young people away from radicalisation, support community early-warning mechanisms and keep their pulpits as platforms for truth and peace rather than incitement.
On the economy, Idris said the government was implementing reforms while expanding opportunities for young Nigerians through programmes including NELFUND, 3MTT, NYIF, NATEP, SVCG, SUPA and iDICE, adding that Nigeria’s greatest resource was the talent and creativity of its people.
Akume: Security begins with trust
Akume, who represented President Tinubu at the event and declared the synod open, echoed the minister’s position, telling the bishops that national security goes beyond the work of security agencies.
“National security cannot be the responsibility of soldiers, police officers and intelligence agencies alone. Security also begins with trust, social cohesion, early warning and responsible speech,” he said.
“The Church must therefore see peace building as part of national security.”
On the economy, the SGF acknowledged the hardship Nigerians had endured under the ongoing reforms but said the government’s focus had shifted to household recovery.
“This government is focusing on recovery of household incomes from poverty and will never relent until reform succeeds and translates to affordable food, jobs, better infrastructure, health services and dignity for the ordinary citizen. That is where the Renewed Hope Agenda truly lies,” Akume said.
He said the administration was expanding programmes in education, health, social protection and community resilience, with a commitment “to keep listening; to correct what needs correction; to protect the vulnerable; to strengthen accountability.”
‘Elections will come and go, but Nigeria must remain’
With the 2027 polls approaching, Akume charged the bishops to safeguard democracy without taking sides.
“Elections will come and go, but Nigeria must remain. As Charismatic Bishops and fathers of faith, you have a decisive role to play, not in determining the winner, but in helping to ensure that Nigeria does not lose,” he said.
He urged them to raise their voices against vote-buying, hate speech and the weaponisation of ethnicity or religion, and cautioned against politicising the pulpit.
“An election is a contest for office; it must never become a war for survival,” he said.
The SGF also called for deeper collaboration between government and the Church in youth empowerment, education, peacebuilding, civic responsibility and humanitarian service.
“Government needs the moral reach of the Church and the Church needs an enabling civic environment to thrive. Above all, Nigeria needs both, to work perfectly, for the common good,” he said.
CBCN endorses Tinubu for 2027
In a major political development at the event, the President-General of CBCN, Archbishop Prof. Leonard Bature Kawas, declared the conference’s support for President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Kawas said the Church had examined the administration’s record and was prepared to continue supporting the President through prayers, advocacy and public engagement.
“We support him now. We support him today, we support him tomorrow, and we support him for as long as he’s willing to be our president,” Kawas said. “This house has endorsed him for 2027 presidency.”
In his message, President Tinubu commended the Church for its prayers, humanitarian interventions and contributions to peace and national cohesion.
He acknowledged the sacrifices Nigerians had made during the economic reforms and assured citizens that the government remained focused on improving household incomes and reducing hardship, adding that government welcomed the Church’s “prayers, counsel, constructive criticism and partnership” in advancing national development.
NAN
