Traditionalists move to end religion marginalization
The International Council for Ifa Religion which is the global umbrella for all traditionalists, has threatened to employ legal means to stop all forms of marginalisation against them in the country.
This was made known in a statement on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, by the president of the group, Dr Solagbade Popoola, condemning the recent attack on a female traditionalist in Ilorin, Kwara state capital, stressing that they are for peace and development of the country.
While calling on Kwara State Governor, Abdulrasaq Abdurahman, to be proactive in preventing religious crisis in the state, Popoola declared that the nation’s constitution and the United Nations charter allowed people to practice their religion without any attack or harassment.
He said, ” Those who carried out the attack in Ilorin should be brought arraigned and prosecuted for inciting religious violence and for terrorizing a fellow Nigerian citizen who was only exercising her freedom as enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution among other documents.
” ICIR considers that event and action as potential predicates of an upcoming fatal religious and Human Rights violence; Kwara State Government is therefore advised to be very proactive.
” As an organization that promotes peace, humanity, and love, ICIR hereby calls on the Kwara State Government to urgently initiate an inter-faith dialogue to enable each religion to know that Nigeria remains a secular state and that no religion or faith is superior to another.
” ICIR has resolved to use all legal means available to stop religious marginalization, discrimination, and slavery in any part of Nigeria where there are traditionalists. This is a way to strengthen the nation’s legal framework and deter a large-scale religious.”
