Religious, political extremisms big challenges, says Lai Mohammed

Immediate past Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said extremism is among the greatest challenges facing humanity.

He said extremism could stem from political or religious views.

The ex-minister said this while speaking at his Oro country home in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State during a reception in his honour by the community at the weekend.

He said: “In most cases, political or religious extremism overlaps each other.”

Mohammed lauded the religious tolerance in the Oro community, saying other communities across Nigeria should emulate such a way of life.

He said: “All of us who are familiar with Boko Haram insurgency know that it is intolerance in the form of extremism on the part of some zealots who believe that followers of other religions are inferior.

“This is not so in my community. My community is almost 50 per cent Christian and 50 per cent Muslim. But they have always lived in harmony.

“It is instructive that when I started the Ramadan talk in Oro shortly after I lost the governorship election in Kwara State in 2003, I started at the Muslim praying ground, which I think is normal.

“But after two years, the Muslim prayer ground was not available because it was undergoing some renovation. I was then advised to move the event to Ilorin, the state capital, by some Muslim clerics.

“Then, I informed my community of the shift in the venue of the Ramadan talk, but the community advised that I should hold the talk at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church here in Oro. I felt a little bit surprised. They told me that in Oro, there is no difference between a Muslim and a Christian. For the next three consecutive years, I held the Ramadan talk at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church.

“To me, it is a big statement about the tolerance of people. I only hope that other communities will also borrow a leaf from Oro. Religion is a matter of choice. My people are religiously tolerant.”

Also speaking at the event, the pioneer Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande called for cooperation among the Igbominas for the progress of their communities.

“Let me use this medium to urge all Igbomina to join hands together so that we’ll have more Lai Mohammed in our land,” he said.

Welcoming the former minister, the National President of Oro Community, Prof. James Bojuwoye, hailed him for living indelible footprints in the sand of time for the community.

He commended Mohammed, who, along with his wife, contributed millions of naira to the Third Oro Day and fundraising, in which more than N35 million was realized to rehabilitate the community centre and sink boreholes at strategic points in the town.

“As the first political appointee from the town, he has made us extremely proud of him. He has contributed financially to activities of both Christians and Muslims in our town in obvious demonstration of religious tolerance and harmony for which the community is well known.

“A golden fish has no hiding place. His current international appointment coming soon after the end of his tenure as a minister bears eloquent testimony to his international stature.
“We wish him a most successful tenure in his current international appointment,” he said.