Bishop Matthew Kukah, the catholic bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has said there is no conflict between the country’s two religious communities, Muslims and Christians.
On Monday morning’s TVC News Breakfast broadcast, Bishop Kukah stated that the country’s issue was with irresponsible politicians who used religion as a means of oppression rather than liberty.
He said, “There is no problem between Christians and Muslims. There is a problem between irresponsible leaders who don’t want to govern properly; irresponsible Christian religious leaders who have now seen religion as a tool of oppression instead of a tool for liberation.
“This has been the thrust of my argument, because these are two areas of study. With all sense of modesty I have spent a good part of my life studying theology and studying religion and society,” he noted.
The country had failed to establish a governance that prioritized the wellbeing of its residents over all other considerations, according to a clergyman who was replying to inquiries about the roles of religion and ethnicity in Nigerian politics.
He said, “If you are watching a football match or any game at all, that’s why there are referees. If the referee does not do what needs to be done and allows supporters to jump onto the field, you can see for yourself that referees are punishing coaches who overreach themselves by stepping even if it is just one inch, into the field. They are punished; sometimes they are taken off the pitch.
“Now, this is really what a state is supposed to be. Because without the state, it will be all of us against each other. And that is why the state is called a leviathan. You put so much power so that the state can protect us. The Nigerian state has proved itself to be incompetent, grossly malfunctioning, unable, and unwilling to commit the welfare of citizens as the principal basis of governance.”
The cleric added that the Nigerian system was just about politics and not science and that residents needed to have a “Nigeria land” attitude, which assumes awareness of shared interests.
The elderly man also strongly advocated for a nation where the rule of law would take precedence over religious or ethnic emotions, pointing out that Nigeria was a democracy and not a theocracy.
He continued by saying that the function of religion must be defined scientifically, noting that the absence of such a definition gave leaders license to favor one religion or ethnic group over another.
Kukah said, “The constitution guarantees us freedom of religion and freedom to decide what we don’t want. Religion is an association. I’m free to opt out of an association.
“But if we have these unresolved issues as to the boundaries of the power of the state, how much can be appropriated in the name of religion, then you’re going to have the chaos that we have. And this is why we’ve not been able; we’ve refused to scientifically define and address the role of religion.”
