The Guild of Interfaith Media Practitioners Nigeria, GIMP-Nigeria, has urged the Federal Government and other stakeholders to embrace deliberate and sustained interfaith collaboration as a critical pathway to ending the lingering insecurity across the country.
In a Christmas message to mark the 2025 celebration, observed on Thursday, December 25, the Guild said the security challenges arising from Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnappings and other criminal activities cannot be resolved through military action alone.
GIMP-Nigeria condemned the continued killings, terrorism, communal clashes and the manipulation of religious identities, describing them as grave threats to national unity, economic stability and social trust.
The group lamented that places of worship, highways, farmlands and communities have become increasingly unsafe, leaving citizens traumatised and deeply divided.
According to the Guild, the persistence of insecurity is being fuelled not only by weapons but by attitudinal mistrust, misinformation, exclusion and the abuse of religion, noting that purely military responses have so far proven insufficient.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Abdulkarim Abdulmalik, GIMP-Nigeria said: “Nigeria’s insecurity is not only a security failure; it is a trust failure.”
The Guild stressed that interfaith collaboration must go beyond symbolism, describing it as a frontline security strategy that government can no longer afford to ignore.
It explained that structured synergy among Muslim and Christian leaders, media professionals and government institutions could significantly reduce violence by countering extremist narratives, promoting early-warning intelligence at the grassroots, mediating communal tensions and discouraging hate speech.
GIMP-Nigeria called on the Federal, State and Local Governments to institutionalise engagement with credible interfaith bodies, support interfaith peacebuilding and counter-narrative initiatives, and integrate faith-sensitive approaches into national security planning.
“A government that sidelines faith actors in a deeply diverse religious society like Nigeria weakens its own security architecture,” the Guild warned.
The group also urged media practitioners to act responsibly by avoiding sensationalism, religious profiling and conflict-driven reporting, particularly during sensitive periods such as the Christmas season.
It advised journalists to see themselves as agents of de-escalation and national cohesion through accurate, balanced and responsible reporting.
GIMP-Nigeria further challenged faith leaders to speak with one voice against violence, collaborate with government to discipline inflammatory preaching and reaffirm that no religion justifies the killing of innocent people.
Expressing optimism as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate a season associated with peace, compassion and goodwill, the Guild said lasting peace would only be achieved through courageous and inclusive leadership.
“Nigeria’s diversity is not a curse but a strength. The New Year must mark a shift from symbolic interfaith meetings to practical, result-driven partnership with government for a safer and more united nation,” the statement added.
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