Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has called on religious scholars to always preach the essence of peaceful coexistence to their followers for the purpose of engendering national unity and development.
Describing membership of any religious faith as a choice freely made by every individual, he said such inalienable right must be respected by other religious adherents to make life worth living for all, irrespective of religious differences and beliefs.
Delivering his goodwill message at the Public Presentation of a book on Sheikh Ahmad Tijani Awelenje at the Lagos Central Mosque, Lagos Island, Lagos, he said that despite being a Chancellor in the Anglican Communion, he has continually believed that the faithful of other religions have rights of choice that must be respected.
He called on citizens to imbibe the tenets of religious harmony to serve God and man for all-round development of the society.
According to the governor, since adherents of the two major religions are serving the same God, there was no basis for any form of intolerance, misunderstanding, fight or discrimination, stressing that religion should unite the people for service to man and God.
He expressed satisfaction with the widespread of religious tolerance among the adherents of the two major religions in the South West, adding that it could still be improved for the development of the region and the country at large.
