From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
With the high level of socio-economic and political challenges ravaging Nigeria, the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) has called for true reconciliation to attain lasting peace in the country.
The Forum, while launching a peace code at the Review and Validation of Interfaith Code of Conduct for Peacebuilding in Nigeria, in Abuja, yesterday, lamented that everyone is now seeking the face of survival in the face of the high level of insecurity in Nigeria.
In a communiqué issued, the co-chairmen of the group, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, and Alhaji Kunle Sanni Ishaq said the principles of dialogue are important in sustaining peace.
They said that the purpose of the dialogue was to dispel stereotypes, mitigate violence, create understanding and enable co-operation and peaceful co-existence while maintaining mutual respect among the adherents of Islam and Christianity.
‘The Code of Conduct is designed to be broadly applicable to Christian and Muslim leaders and their followers.
‘The code is applicable for interfaith community members who are focused on mitigating religious conflicts and seeking to improve national and local community cohesion, understanding and peaceful coexistence between people of different religious beliefs and creeds in Nigeria,’ they said.
They said that key areas that the code of conduct is focusing on are mutual respect (love), truthfulness and legality, value, ethical standards; human rights and dignity; transparency and accountability; conflict resolution mechanism, hate speech and blasphemy; and justice.