Promoting Interfaith Relations in a Multi-Religious Society for Sustainable Development

Religion according to many religious scholars has a powerful influence on every aspect of society. Professor J. K. Ayantayo (2023) who also discussed the potent influence of religion in his book, Sociological of Religion in African Concept, remarked that religion has an impact on a person, a group of people, and a nation. This position is apparent in a multi-religious society like Nigeria. People are conscious of their religious practices and sentimental about them so much that it often influences their behaviours. The arguments over beliefs and religious superiority have repeatedly brought the disruption of societal peace and destruction of lives and properties. Although there have been efforts on the part of government and religious stakeholders to promote peace, the challenge of religious intolerance and religious differentiation in every aspect of the nation is a cancer worm that has been a recurrent decimal within our society. As a developing country with a high rate of poverty, some religious extremists have adopted dysfunctional roles to wage wars against their probable religious opponents without just cause. Interfaith dialogue among religious functionaries and their followers will enhance sustainable development particularly when there is a continuing effort on their part to respect all religions and their beliefs regardless of their convictions. Against this backdrop, this paper tends to discuss the need to promote interfaith relations for sustainable development using observation, qualitative and descriptive methodologies