WIC, JISRA Host Unity Dialogue Games For Kurmin Mashi, Sabon Layi, Kaduna Communities

By Frederick Peters, KADUNA

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: The Women’s Interfaith Council, Nigeria( WIC) one of the Organizations implementing Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action, ( JISRA) organized a special unity Dialogue games for Kurmin Mashi and Sabon Layi communities in Kaduna south LGA of the State.

Held at the LEA Primary school, Kurmin Mashi, on Saturday, the unity Dialogue games, being first of its kind by an Interfaith group in the community, attracted, religious and traditional leaders, Men, women and youths in their large numbers among others.

The unity Dialogue games featured Football match which ended two all between Kurmin Mashi and Sabon Layi team, children games, Sack running competition, cultural dance, parade and lots more.

Speaking during her address, the Executive Director, WIC, Rev Sr Veronica Ifeanyiwa Onyeanisi, OLA, lauded the event and said the essence of the games was to promote inclusion, peace and and social cohesion which brings about development.

She emphasized that the game is to illustrate that every one in the community has a role to play to enhance social harmony and peaceful coexistence. The gathering of children, Men, women, youths, traditional and religious leaders from the two communities illustrates this because one thing has brought us together, the God we worship is God of Peace and we are all people of Peace.

She further expressed that it is only when there is Peace that progress will come. Hence it is the responsibility of all to ensure that there’s peace and that what Jisra is promoting- inclusion, freedom of religion and peaceful coexistence. She called on everyone to join hands to ensure respect of life, equality, inclusion and freedom of religion for peaceful. This is being displayed in the field in their different games

According to her,” we all have something to contribute in the community, nobody is useless in the community, we are all important and let’s all contribute our gifts in building a better peaceful community in Kurmin mash

The District head of Tudun Wada, Alh Tahir Mahmud ( Sarkin Ruwan Zazzau) represented by Sarkin Kurmin Mashi, Alh Ahmed Mohammed, commended the organisers and turn out of the games saying ” today is a wonderful day for us in Kurmin Mashi, because we are playing a unity football match, because Kurmin mashi is living in peace for long, so that’s why we say we will organise a football match so that our unity will be strong

” because if we leave our younger ones, without telling them how far we have gone about peace in Kurmin mashi they won’t know the history, that’s why we have come up with the football match, so that the younger ones will see us, who are the elders, what are we we doing to keep our peace together

” so we are showing them our unity hence we started with the games, sack running competition, tug of war and cultural dance and later on we come to football, so all these bring unity and they enjoy it, and I enjoyed it and even the district Head is supposed to have been here with us, he traveled to Zaria, and asked me to represent him, so that I will tell his subjects to keep it up”

On his part, the Chairman JISRA, Kurmin Mashi, Rev Chitang Yunusa, said why the program was organised is because the WIC family chose Kurmin Mashi and Hanyin Bankin, to be the two areas where they want to work in order to promote peace and unity, within those environments, because the two communities comprise of Muslims and Christians.

“So the training we got from them we are applying what we learned from them on how to promote unity, peace between Christians and Muslims, that’s the essence of this program and we organized the program in such a way that Christians and Muslims will be valued in the community and all our target is to make sure that Muslims and Christians are working in unity. Honestly, I am very very impressed, ” he added.

On her part, the Gimbiyan Kurmin Mashi and Sabon Layin, Hajia Maryam Saleh, while commending the program and organizers said it reminded her of those good olds days when they were living in peace and harmony irrespective of ones faith, while applauding the football match between Kurmin Mashi and Sabon Layi, , which ended two all said, both team consists of both Muslims and Christians, so it’s enhancing unity among the two communities,

She further urged women to start preaching peace at home, be peace agents, patient, forgiven, tolerant and the need for them to respect each other’s religion and allow every one practice his faith., She also charged the youths to stay away from drugs and crimes, with a call for anyone to report to the community leaders or authorities anything they see or hear that may be a threat to the community.

Similarly, a Christian women leader in the community, Mrs Asabe Iya Peter, while describing the sporting activity, said ” infact this is highly commendable, it’s building our unity, because Kurmin Mashi, we were just living like that, but with the coming of JISRA, we have seen great changes, there’s unity among Kurmin Mashi, you can not differentia the Christians from the Muslims, we all unite and do things together,

” As Women, we are laying a foundation for our Children and Children to come; they will come to inherit and continue in that foundation, adding that the “Sarkis and Mai-angwas” are working together as brothers, we eat from the same plate and drink from the same cup” she stressed.