A public analyst, Ahmad Lawal, has called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts at encouraging and promoting religious tolerance in the country.
Lawal made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ilorin.
The public analyst was of the view that religious intolerance was one of the challenges facing the country.
Lawal said that religion was supposed to be an affair between an individual and his or her creator, but Nigerians had turned it into a vehicle of hate and segregation.
The public analyst explained that some Nigerians used religion to suit their conveniences, dull their conscience and enrich themselves.
“It is in this perspective that I look at religion as a major problem in Nigeria.
“Every sane person knows that the definition of madness is to keep doing the same things and expect different results.
“Our politicians are enriching themselves, while at the same time impoverishing the people.
“Dehumanizing and enslaving the same people they promised to serve and disobeying the constitution they promised to uphold in the name of religion.
“In order not to be ranked among those who complain without providing solutions, let me say here that federal government should improve its activities to promote religious tolerance among Nigerians.
“This doesn’t mean that Nigerians won’t practice any religion, but that the state will not recognise any.
“People should be allowed to practice their religion anyway they deem fit as long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others.
“The code of conduct for public officers should be clearly written and strictly observed with strict penalties for offenders,’’ Lawal said.
He noted that some crises orchestrated by religion could be avoided if religious tolerance was well promoted because people used religion to perpetrate evil.
According to him, some politicians are using religion to divide their followers for their selfish interests.
He advised Nigerians to resist anyone using religion to cause confusion irrespective of the person’s status in the society. (NAN)
OOH/ESAN/WOJ
