Speakers at the just-concluded two-day conference on law and religion have called on Nigerians to recognise the importance of the nation's ethnic and religious diversity and tolerate one another.

Held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, the event organised by WARCLARS and the International Centre for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS) in collaboration with the Ikeja and Lagos chapters of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) saw the bar, the bench, and town-gown converge for a better society.

Speaking on the theme: “Law and Religion: The Role of the State,” the Vice Chancellor, of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, said that the state must ensure that its citizens are free to practice their religious beliefs within the ambit of the law.

He observed that every religion and law protects the life of every citizen, adding that no individual must be coerced into a belief system he/she finds unpersuasive.

The VC said that adherents of any religion within the state should be protected from disparaging remarks made to coerce them to a secular standpoint.

On her own part, Justice Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju of the Supreme Court identified the interchange of ideas as a major component to move society forward and called for religious tolerance.

The founding coordinator, of the West African Centre for Law and Religion Studies (WARCLARS), Prof. Akin Ibidapo-Obe, who noted that religion should be a unifying factor because the tenets of most religions seem to coincide, said: “It is in practice that there are diversities. So, the more understanding faithful have the less likelihood of conflict. The state must understand this intersection and take the proper position.

“Members of the bar who are stakeholders in the rule of law are aware of the developments and are building expertise in the area of law and religion. At the end of the day, there would be a meeting point among practitioners of law, religion and members of the society.”