National News
University Don Calls on West African Countries to Create Legal Framework Against Religious Intolerance

University Don Calls on West African Countries to Create Legal Framework Against Religious Intolerance
By: Michael Mike
Countries in West Africa needs to put in place legal framework that will mitigate religious intolerance, a professor of International Relations at Kaduna State University, Professor Usman Mohammed has told the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
He gave the advocate on Wednesday while presenting a paper at a delocalised meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament on committees on Education, Science and Culture; Health as well as Telecommunications and Information Technology.
has called on members of Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States,
In his paper titled: “Religious Tolerance and Stability: key factors to peace and development in the ECOWAS region, Professor Mohammed said ECOWAS needs to prevail on the authorities at the national levels to domesticate laws that will be useful in reducing religious intolerance in the region, explaining that due to human behaviour, it would be practically impossible to eradicate religious intolerance, hence, the need for the implementation of appropriate laws to put such tendency in check.
He said although states could differ when it comes to the issue of guaranteeing equal treatments under the law and constitution, the general assumption was that religion is a fundamental human rights as enshrined by the United Nations charter, as such, the inclination to have religious dogmatic adherences abound, posing a fundamental challenge in the region.
He said: “We cannot deceive ourselves and say that we are going to eradicate religious intolerance, as it is human behaviour which is very unpredictable. The essence of studying human behaviour is to reduce, to control and to minimise and not to eradicate. This is a basic fact. So let us understand on the basic of this fact that there are behaviours that need to be controlled and in controlling it, we need laws.
“And in enacting laws, we need laws either from domestic to international or from regional to domestication, at the level of the states where democracy happens. This is very important. So therefore, you have a very significant role in the reduction of violence and religious intolerance in West Africa; to see to it that you talk to authorities at the national levels to domesticate laws that will be useful in reducing this intolerance.”
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Mohammed while likening Africa to a pot of porridge with a combination of several ingredients which if cooked properly would produce a delicious meal and if not handled with care would disrupt the anatomy of the system, said: “So, in diverse societies such as West Africa, people from different backgrounds practice multiple faiths, even within the same religion, multiple philosophical adherences are there, differences about social, economic and racial issues also come up, which may lead to religious intolerance to a large extent, if not carefully handled.”
He further explained that different interpretations of religious scripture posed yet another factor which could give rise to religious intolerance.
He said: “In the churches, in the mosques , we hear this issues of religious tolerance, interpretation of these scripture however, becomes another issue. The belief in them, whether it is dogmatic belief, or school of thoughts that gives the interpretation becomes another problem even within the same religion. So this is where we are, this is our source of problem.
“How do we believe in the scripture simple and straight forward, without subtraction, without addition, without some other scholars bringing their own belief into what the scriptures are saying? You have different interpretations, different believes, different schools of thought, different sects. Again, the crises even within the same religion is there, in Islam we have different sects, in Christianity there are different sects. This is another problem.”
The international Relations Scholar however claimed the fact that religious motivated violence is more present particularly in countries that have a high level of political instability or active insurgency.
He said religious violence may not always be caused by religious groups but secular groups such as political parties, ethnic associations and community unions might also incite religious violence to suit their political ideological agenda.
University Don Calls on West African Countries to Create Legal Framework Against Religious Intolerance
National News
VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution
By: Michael Mike
Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.
The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.
In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.
“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.
“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.
The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.
Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.
Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.
VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution
National News
Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting
By: Michael Mike
The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.
A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.
“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”
According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.
The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.
Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.
Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting
National News
Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People
…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp
By: Michael Mike
Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.
Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.
Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.
“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.
“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”
Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.
“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”
She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”
Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People
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