Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon. Justin Welby, GCVO, has said Nigeria’s future must be determined by Nigerians themselves, warning against actions or influences that could undermine the country’s sovereignty.
Welby made the remarks during a public lecture at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, held at the Abdullahi Mahadi Conference Centre on the university’s Main Campus, Samaru. The lecture was part of activities marking ABU’s 45th Convocation Ceremony.
Titled “Building Inter-Ethnic and Religious Harmony in Nigeria: Pathways to National Unity,” the lecture focused on the role of faith, values, and leadership in addressing Nigeria’s persistent ethnic and religious divisions.
According to Welby, protecting Nigeria’s sovereignty is not the responsibility of government alone but a shared duty of leaders across political, economic, spiritual, social, legal, and traditional sectors.
“That means those in political, economic, spiritual, social, legal, traditional, and other leadership roles must be willing, among many other demands, to take responsibility for guarding the sovereignty of Nigeria,” he said.
He stressed that genuine inter-ethnic and religious harmony requires honest confrontation of Nigeria’s weaknesses, openness to learning, and purposeful engagement with the international community. Welby warned that efforts at national unity would remain “vain dreams” unless they are firmly rooted in Nigeria’s history and realities, including its political, economic, social, and global context.
The former Anglican primate identified four key focus areas in achieving national cohesion, including the foundations of inter-faith and inter-ethnic harmony, national unity, leadership responsibility, and the global environment. He emphasised that strong leadership and shared values are essential to building a united, peaceful, and sovereign Nigeria.
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