From: Femi Oyelola in Kaduna
The 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, Right Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, GCVO, will speak on inter-ethnic and religious harmony at a public lecture scheduled for Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
Right Reverend Welby served as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury from 2013 until his resignation in 2024.
The lecture, *’Building Inter-Ethnic and Religious Harmony in Nigeria: Pathways to National Unity,’* is part of the activities lined up for the university’s 45th Convocation Ceremony.
The public lecture will take place at 10:00am at the Abdullahi Mahadi Conference Centre, Ahmadu Bello University, Main Campus, Samaru – Zaria.
Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Ahmadu Bello University Governing Council Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, CFR, will chair the occasion.
A good number of dignitaries from all walks of life are expected to attend the one-day lecture.
They include, among others, former Nigerian leaders, ministers, governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and socio-cultural organizations.
Right Reverend Justin Welby, who was the leader of the Anglican Communion, the worldwide body of Anglican Christian churches in communion with the see of Canterbury.
The Christian leader accepted the university’s invitation to present the lecture as part of his contribution to the important conference on peacebuilding and national cohesion.
As a Co-Director of Coventry Cathedral’s International Centre for Reconciliation, Right Reverend Justin worked with Anglican missions aimed at resolving conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, often under the threat of violence.
For example, in 2005, he helped negotiate a peaceful settlement between Shell Oil Company and the Ogoni people of Nigeria amid claims that Shell had polluted local groundwater and had conspired with the Nigerian army to suppress violent protests. He has continued to work on reconciliation issues overseas and to write on ethical and financial matters.
In 2012, he served on the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, advising lawmakers on ethical matters.
That same year, Right Reverend Justin Welby assisted in the investigation into banking standards in the wake of the LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) scandal, in which it was revealed that central British banks had manipulated a key benchmark for global interest rates.
As the Archbishop of Canterbury, Welby officiated at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022.
On May 6, 2023, he presided over the coronation of King Charles III. In recognition of the UK’s diverse communities, the presentation of the regalia was done by Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh members of the House of Lords.
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