On November 22, from 2.30pm to 5pm, the first of a series of seminars on the prevention of violent extremism and peacebuilding, organised by the Club of Lisbon in collaboration with KAICIID - International Dialogue Centre, was held in the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra (FEUC), focusing on the role of interreligious dialogue. This session analysed the case of Nigeria.

The session was moderated by Fernando Jorge Cardoso, an expert  in African Studies, Executive Director of the Club of Lisbon and Invited Full Professor of the Autonomous Lisbon University,

The following speakers shared their knowledge and experience:

Father Stephen Ojapah, Catholic Priest of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul of Nigeria, working in the Catholic diocese of Sokoto. He is also the director for interreligious dialogue and ecumenism for the diocese of Sokoto and the parish priest of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Gidan Mai Kambu.

Imam Muhammad Nuruddeen Lemu, Director of Research and Training, Da’wah Institute of Nigeria where he train-the-trainers courses in enhancing interreligious dialogue responding to religious extremism among Muslims and promoting Shari’ah Intelligence, or faith-based critical thinking.

Mathias Yake, Conflict Specialist with Development Alternatives International (DAI) Nigeria on the USAID "State2State Activity". He works on Conflict Analysis, including Dialogue Facilitation and Preventing violent extremism, and ethnoreligious conflicts.

Maria Clara Gabriel de Oliveira, Invited Assistant Professor at the School of Economics of the University of Coimbra. Teaching and Research focus Global Social Policy, combining analytical frameworks from the fields of International Relations, Political Science and Political Economy.

This talk was held in partnership with FEUC Coimbra and is part of a Seminar Series organised by the Club of Lisbon with the collaboration of KAICIID - International Dialogue Centre and in partnership with academic institutions from four universities - Coimbra, Évora, Minho and Autónoma de Lisboa - for reflection and debate on the instrumentalisation of religion to justify violence on the African continent.