Omnia Trains Interfaith Peacemakers to Avert Religious Clashes

Bennett Oghifo

Omnia Institute for Contextual Leadership, a group of interfaith peacemakers, has said it trained over 3,500 peacemakers and organised them into 94 Interfaith Peacemaker Teams (IP Teams), beginning from 2017 to counter religious extremism, religion-based oppression, domination and violence.

The group said in a statement it issued yesterday that the “IP- teams, which consists of imams and pastors, demonstrate that when the two dominant religions: Muslims and Christians collaborate and build power, public perception changes. It reduces the tolerance of extremism, conflict, and lead to increment in affirmation of pluralism. This collaboration of interfaith leaders has further reduced space for extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP to recruit young residents in the North-east.”

The IP teams, the group said have played significant roles through empowerment providing antidote to poverty, as young Nigerians have found pathway to entrepreneurial opportunities through skills acquisitions, as artisans such as tailors, hair dressers, among other vocations.

In further pursuit of peace in the region, OMNIA IP teams have commenced training of peacemakers in Maiduguri, the ancient city almost wrecked by Boko Haram insurgency.

It said “75 Christian and Muslim leaders have been trained by Reverend Abare Kallah OMNIA’s National Coordinator for Nigeria.

This is coming from the backdrop of successes recorded in Gombe from 2017 with trained IP teams averting religious implosions and resolving intractable conflicts. The people of Maiduguri no doubt have disproportionately suffered from Boko Haram violence and need as much as possible to quickly build infrastructure for peace.

“Each IP -team has about 20 religious leaders – clergy and lay, women and men, some leading congregations of 100 and others over 1000.”

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