Effective application of tenets of democracy will promote religious harmony
and tackle insurgency and feeling of marginalisation, Sokoto State
Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has said.
“Democratic governance can be used to effectively tackle problems of
religious intolerance through the election of patriotic, selfless and
people-oriented politicians into positions of authority” who in turn carry
all sections of the society along in executing their mandates, the Governor
said in Osogbo Monday.
Delivering a paper titled: “Religious tolerance and the challenges of
democratic governance in Nigeria” at the Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun
State, Tambuwal said Nigeria can overcome the problem of religious
intolerance if purveyors of violence and lawlessness are properly exposed
and penalised by law enforcement agencies.
He said there is the need for the citizenry to be roactive in promoting
good governance, fighting corruption and kicking against bad leadership
within the limits of the law.
According to him, promotion of “sincere and open discussions”, to be
championed by religious groups, leaders, security men and traditional
rulers on areas of interests, agreements and disagreements will enhance
unity and understanding.
“We need to specifically mount robust enlightenment campaign that would
foster inter-faith understanding. The tremendous achievements recorded by
the Nigeria inter-religious council need to be consolidated by finding more
strategies that would promote its envisaged objectives.
“There’s the need to control the many factors that are impacting directly
or indirectly on religious disharmony such as unemployment, poverty,
inadequate security, depletion of cultural values and bad politicking,” the
Governor added.
While noting that ethnic and religious harmony has been exemplary in the
history of Nigeria, Tambuwal opined that disputes and conflicts witnessed
over the years in Nigeria have been more or less caused by poor education
among the people, many of who are hoodwinked by unpatriotic persons seeking
power at all cost.