Nigeria Interreligious Council Celebrates 100th Public Webinar

Every Tuesday, the Nigeria Interreligious Council (NIREC) public webinar starts promptly at 3 p.m. West Africa Time. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, NIREC broadcast its 100^th webinar – and many more are likely.

“For me, it’s going to continue until I finish my tenure with NIREC,” said Father Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua, NIREC’s executive secretary. “And I will appeal to the co-chairmen of NIREC for it to be continued. I’m sure they will continue it – they’ve been very happy with it.”

Father Cornelius, as most know him, initiated the webinars out of necessity after COVID-19 pushed many individuals and organizations to embrace meeting virtually. The first webinar took place on May 13, 2024; he had no idea it would become so popular.

“When we started, I didn’t know how sustainable YouTube and Zoom would be – I was just pushing ahead, trying our luck,” he recalled. “Then we set up a small group to determine the curriculum, and we have not run out of topics.”

The appeal of the webinars appears to lie in those topics and the guests; it has also gained visibility through NIREC’s popular WhatsApp group.

Since 2024, guests from diverse faiths have addressed a wide variety of issues – from the principles of dialogue to national unity and religious collaboration, from the role of NIREC itself in strengthening unity to peacebuilding around the world to mental health.

On the 100^th edition, Dr. Francis Kuria, Secretary General of Religions for Peace, was the featured guest; he presented on the Religions for Peace Shared Sacred Flourishing framework.

The webinars have reached thousands of people across the globe.

“It has certainly increased interreligious understanding,” Father Cornelius said. “What has surprised me is the connection from people in other countries – across West Africa and around the world.”