Sultan calls for religious unity to defeat hate speech,fake news

By Abubakar Yunus

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Vatican on Monday called for stronger collaboration to combat hate speech and fake news, warning that both have become major threats to peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.

The call followed a closed-door meeting between the Sultan and Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations of the Holy See, at the headquarters of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Abuja.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Deputy Secretary-General of the NSCIA, Prof. Salisu Shehu, said the discussions centred on promoting mutual understanding between Muslim and Christian communities and strengthening cooperation in advancing peace and security.

Shehu said the Sultan stressed that hate speech had inflicted serious damage on peaceful coexistence, creating what he described as perceptual and relational crises among faith communities.

According to him, both leaders agreed that religious organisations must work together to curb the growing trend of hate speech, particularly the increasing insults directed at respected religious leaders.

“There was a strong call for all religious and faith communities to work together to combat hate speech, especially the growing and unfortunate phenomenon whereby some individuals openly insult religious leaders who are highly respected within their various faith communities,” he said.

He added that the meeting also identified fake news as another dangerous challenge capable of fuelling unrest and instability, urging Nigerians to collectively confront the menace.

The discussions also focused on rising moral degeneration across the world, with both sides calling on religious leaders to intensify efforts to promote moral values and guide younger generations.

Shehu further disclosed that concerns were raised over the increasing rejection of religion among young people, noting that Muslim and Christian leaders have a responsibility to address the trend through sustained engagement.

Speaking after the meeting, Archbishop Gallagher described the discussions as frank and enlightening, saying he was encouraged by the shared commitment of both faiths to national unity and peaceful coexistence.

He said the Catholic Church and the Muslim community held common convictions on the role of religious leaders in promoting the common good, expressing optimism that sustained collaboration would deepen religious harmony and strengthen Nigeria’s unity.