SIR AHMADU BELLO’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO CHRISTIANS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA, 1959

In December 1959, as Nigeria stood on the threshold of independence, the Premier of the Northern Region, Ahmadu Bello, sent a Christmas message to Christians across Northern Nigeria.
At a time when the country was still shaping its national identity, his message emphasized unity, tolerance, and mutual respect among the diverse peoples of the region.
He said:
“We are people of many different races, tribes, and religions, who are knit together by a common history, common interests, and common ideals.
Our diversity may be great, but the things that unite us are stronger than the things that divide us. On an occasion like this, I always remind people about our firmly rooted policy on religious tolerance.
We have no intention of favouring one religion at the expense of another. Subject to the overriding need to preserve law and order, it is our determination that everyone should have absolute liberty to practise his beliefs.
It is befitting on this momentous day, on behalf of my ministers and myself, to send a special word of gratitude to all Christian missions.
Let me conclude this with a personal message.
I extend my greetings to all our people who are Christians on this great feast day. Let us forget the difference in our religion and remember the common brotherhood before God, by dedicating ourselves afresh to the great tasks which lie before us.”
The message reflected the policy of religious tolerance that the Northern government under Ahmadu Bello often emphasized in the years leading to Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
It remains a notable reminder of the call for unity among Nigeria’s many religious and ethnic communities.