‘Religious manipulations responsible for crises, backwardness in Nigeria’

Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University (KASU), Professor Muhammad Tanko, has argued that religious manipulation and bastardisation of cultural pluralism were responsible for crises and backwardness in Nigeria.

He made this known, while speaking during a research dissemination conference on Action for Religious and Cultural Pluralism in Nigeria at KASU campus, Kaduna.

The conference was organised to present findings of academic researchers from the institution to religious stakeholders, European Union (EU) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on factors militating against peace in the country such as tribalism, politics, youth restiveness and reprisals, among others and ways to checkmate them.

Represented by Deputy VC, Professor Abdulahi Ashafa, he said: “As important as religion and culture and as inevitable as pluralism in human society, Nigerians have been suffering openly and in silence from the negative impact of religious manipulations and bastardisation of cultural pluralism.”

Insisting that due to the country’s unstable political culture, elements of stability and development are difficult to identify, he, however stressed: “Through painstaking research and analysis, religion can serve as agent of stability and development since its teachings and tenets worldwide promote national stability.”