Saraki Calls for Interfaith Unity as Ramadan and Lent Overlap in Nigeria

Former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has urged Nigerians to treat religious diversity as a strength, saying the country must choose unity over division at a time of social and political pressure.

Saraki spoke in Ilorin on Monday night when he hosted Christian leaders, clerics, women and youth representatives from across Kwara State to break the Lenten fast at his residence. The meeting, according to his Press Officer on Local Matters, Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, was part of his broader engagement with faith and community stakeholders during Ramadan.

He said the unusual overlap of Ramadan and the Christian Lenten season carries a clear message for national life. Saraki said both observances emphasise reflection, sacrifice, discipline and care for others, adding that those values should guide public conduct beyond worship spaces.

“As our Christian brothers and sisters observe the Lenten season, I am honoured to welcome Christian leaders and members of the community to break fast with us,” Saraki said. He added that the coincidence of the two periods should remind citizens that the country remains one people despite differences in doctrine and tradition.

The former Senate President said Nigeria’s diversity must not become a political tool for suspicion and conflict. Instead, he said leaders at every level should deliberately create room for cooperation among religious communities, especially among youths and women, who often carry the heaviest social and economic burdens during periods of tension.

Saraki also appealed for sustained dialogue at the grassroots, saying trust is built through repeated contact, not one-off public statements. He said clerics, traditional leaders and elected officials should continue to model respectful engagement and reject rhetoric that pits one faith group against another.

Participants at the gathering included representatives from Christian associations, local clergy and community leaders from different parts of Kwara State. Saraki said such meetings would continue as part of efforts to promote peaceful coexistence.

He maintained that Islam and Christianity both teach service, compassion and accountability, and that these shared values should shape how communities respond to hardship, political disagreement and social change.

His remarks come amid wider national conversations about cohesion, identity and responsible leadership ahead of another election cycle. For Saraki, the immediate priority is clear: Nigerians should protect social harmony by turning religious difference into a platform for understanding rather than a trigger for division.